good tidings to me!
ah. greetings from the lone star state. :D
i bring good tidings! i scored well during the finals after all, and earned a miraculous A+ for history. And As for my Physics, Forensics (another miracle), and Japanese Culture. Organic Chemistry was a bitch. == It gave me a C. 
anyway, i’m still grateful for my grades :D coz this means i started off well. and the next semester will be slightly tougher, with 3 heavy subjects: Organic Chemistry II, Biology & Statistics. I need to have lotsa practice. >< so not looking forward to it at all. but i’m really happy about my awesome & legendary schedule next semester :D hehehe. at least i have 4 days of weekend. hopefully i can repeat this fantastical feat the following semester. :D hehehe. i promise not to abuse such a wonderful arrangement. XD
anyway, this trip has been nothing but an eye-opener for me. opened my eyes to God’s abundant grace! i can’t imagine that i would still need to widen my perspective that much more until i went on this trip. XD anyway, let’s start at Houston. :D
i arrived around 5 at houston, and it took me about an hour to get to the motel, where lerdie was waiting for me. i thought that with a train ticket, i could still board the bus, but this was not to be. sigh. the bus driver was very unhelpful too! so i stood there, helpless, and rather lost when the man behind me offered to pay for me. so i went to take a seat and started taking out the exact change needed and handed it to him. he refused. i told mum, and she cautioned (understatement) that he could follow me later. i was a bit worried, and my plan of looking like a local went down the drain. T^T anyway, he got off at an earlier stop. to make things worse, my ipod touch was being finicky on loading the route map for the bus, so i couldn’t see where i should stop. and my night vision isn’t the best, so i took out my blackberry as the last resort. to my surprise, the google maps app on my phone helped me tracked my route! and i got off at the right stop.
when i got off, i saw a man watching from a verandah, facing the road. so i decided to go and take the other way, and followed this couple. we walked together, but not near enough, and as i reached the other end, i saw a gang of black guys, watching us, and i got scared. lol. but i prayed, and quickly climbed the stairs, and managed to reach the room safely! yay! so when it was time for us to go out for dinner, there wasn’t anyone around! yay! another bonus!
anyway, the next day(12/22), we went to the hermann park zoo, and took pictures around the area as well as in the zoo! that was awesome too. and we got back safely. :D the day after that (12/23), we met up with lerdie’s friend of a friend from texas a&m. she introduced us to her male friend, and they brought us to a vietnamese breakfast place. :D and from there, we set off to a good place for go-kart racing! i won the first and lost the second round to lerdie, no less. >< anyway, we went to another go-karting place which had a laser tag maze! we played laser tag! yay! i was carnage, lerdie was zorro, and we were in the red team. we lost though, but i got the 10th spot. :D hehee. tat was fun! and that evening, we went to eat at the TCBY, and i ate chocolate yogurt. tastes like icecream. we went to an indian restaurant after that, and i had the awesomest butter chicken with poori! weeeeee. ooh, and we met another friend of vivian’s – wilson. he’s … a smart alec. XD
we hung out with wilson & jimy for the next few days, and wilson brought us volunteering! <3 that was an awesome experience! i now have a mild addiction to do more of it when i get back! both of the guys were so concerned about our well-being when on-board Greyhound that they insisted we bought a mace each, and brought us to get some :D
so we reached Dallas about midnight, and safely too. =) we had an awesome Christmas dinner the next day, and I got the chance to taste some wunnerful croissant! wooooooo. i miss it. imma gonna try to find a good bakery around my place when i get back and make my own 
weeee.
how does God come into the picture? well, to me, He introduced us to two new friends who are very nice and caring, and we’ve only known them for such a short amount of time. But still, they treated us very well, and made sure to protect us at all times. I’m amazed. On top of that, our accommodation is in top-notch quality, and it’s only $20 a night too, for one person. that’s nice ain’t it? Above all, He kept us safe from all dangers. no one dared to approach us or harass us. =) we made our way around safely. and for once, my blackberry conserved battery very well! i’m surprised at that!
of reunions, shopping and fatigue.
After much fussing about and calling to and fro, Yeet Chien and Lynn finally found their way out of downtown Chicago and reached my place. :D We did a little catching up, and teased the thorn among the roses for a little bit. Don’t know why, but I do so love teasing them. XD it’s like sharing Lynn’s playtoy. XD hahahahahhahaha. not exactly an appropriate term, but what the heck, i meant it affectionately.
Anyway, YC cooked dinner, after we had a little bit of chicken caesar pizzar. =) yummy! We decided to take a group pic, and hung around doing nothing. ah. the bliss of holidays. Lynn had her much-needed rest before our shopping spree, while YC studied a bit and I didn’t sleep at all but made sure we left the house in a tidy state, just in case my cousins who went to Ohio came back earlier than we did.
Black Friday was… uneventful much for me. I bought the winter essentials though, but couldn’t muster enough energy to go along with Lynn and YC on a mad spree in N. Michigan Ave (a.k.a Magnificent Mile). Oh well. I went home earlier too, while they did last few bits of shopping. I nearly toppled over in fatigue. XD By the time I got back, I was well-rested from my nap in front of Forever 21 waiting for Lynn. XD DARN IT. But i made it back in time though, and spruce the place up a wee bit and waited for my cousins to return from their trip.
Once Lynn and YC got back, we went out for DINNER! <3 had a wonderful dinner at Tank’s! a Vietnamese restaurant. they serve the best curry chicken rice evah. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. lol. we saw Jyo Lin, Tee Jin, and some others there. what a coincidence. XD anyway, we slept like logs that night, and YC developed a bad cough, which wasn’t helped by his silliness to sleep downstairs with just a thin blanket. == So they had to leave the next day, so after we dropped them off at Chinatown, Abang Tuah and Kakak Minda took me to Old Orchard up north outside Evanston. It was awesome. Saw Nordstrom and a few other shops there! Too bad it wasn’t Black Friday anymore. Sigh. anyway, they bought me a nice pair of boots! So happy! and I bought a few books from the Barnes & Noble’s. XD hahahahahah. oops.
I’m back in West Virginia, now looking forward to my Texas trip after finals. weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Chicago <3 me
Here I am, snuggling all by my lonesome on my cousins’ couch in Chicago. Have had an awesome time here since I came!
When they came to fetch me, they took me to Penang, a Malaysian restaurant in Algonquin. Oooh, the bliss of indulging in authentic roti canai and bak kut teh just makes me float to heaven. 
After lunch we went to Mitsuwa, a Japanese store. It had this awesome bookstore inside, so I was in second heaven. See? This is why I said Chicago loves me. XD anyway, bought a few book. Unfortunately they don’t give discounts even to students. The prices are as good as Kinokuniya‘s. Sigh. I guess the only way I can get cheap Japanese craft books is through Chinese translated books. Sigh. We had leftovers for dinner.
The next day we went to church! We had brunch at Zoba’s, a noodle bar. That was awesome, and I had chow mien. :) after that, we hung out at Barnes and Noble, where I bought a few books. We came back, rested, and Monday arrived!
I originally wanted to spend my Monday out in the zoo nearby, but I was so tired, funnily enough, and so I woke up a little after noon and went strolling down Damen St. for a quick familiarizing. =) Recon. XD anyway, on Tuesday, I woke up a little earlier, before noon, and went to the zoo! It was so cold! About -2 degrees. Insane. I got back at about 4.30pm, and got ready for the musical we were gonna watch that night. LION KING THE MUSICAL! yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *hops* wee! It was superb, amazing, one-of-a-kind performance! So grand! The actors had wonderful voices, and all of them sang, including the kids! The costumes were ingenious! I loved Timon and Pumbaa though, they were hilarious. Zazu was ever so delightful. Sigh. I shall download the movie again. =) heee.
Today’s Wednesday! and I took the liberty of waking up so laaaaate. I woke up around 3pm, and lazily made lunch for myself, and watched a bit of TV, and now I’m once again connected to the internet! I’m doing some research on Texan places of attraction though, so that we can check it out a little bit. =) And later I’ll do some research on Black Friday Shopping =)
a great weekend.
i consider myself to be fortunate. even in a foreign land, i’m surrounded by familiarity. family and friends are here to support me. God is with me. i’m not alone. 
i spent my first labor day weekend with family, in chicago. my parents are still around, and will be leaving this wednesday. i’m gonna miss them so bad. anyway, we had a great time together, with my cousins, as we went around chicago. we took a trip to field museum, which has a dinosaur exhibit, among others. we wanted to go to the aquarium, but the queue was too long. and then we basically had a homely dinner the last night i was there. =) i love it. =D
i bought a few items, increasingly aware of the toll i’m taking on my parents’ income. 
so i didn’t exactly splurge. in fact, i’ve stopped splurging. for now, i’m gonna focus on saving up and studying smart. hehe. and spending my time wisely. yay!
had a great videocall with lynn just now, just catching up. =D exchanged our addresses so that we can mail each other stuffs. sumthg like care packages? only smaller. lol. anyway, thank you, Daddy, for this life you’ve given me. my family, my hopes and dreams, my friends, my life. =) it is awesome as it is, and i hope that we’ll continue to make it awesomer. hehe.
among the things i bought were a pair of jeans, a few undergarments, t-shirts, jacket, flip-flops, and various other stationery. 
i love it. weeeeee. hehehe. okies, time for me to get busy.
list of things to do:
- Timetable – personal & class
- Unpack -> laundry
- Filing -> bills, receipts, important documents.
- Homework -> chemistry, history, forensics, physics, japanese
mind-bombed!
it’s not much of an avoidance than a mere lack of convenient pondering time to actually craft out a proper post about farewells.
i can’t access my other blog for now, so this would have to do.
i thank God for all the things He’s given unto me.
this scholarship is the ticket to fulfilling my dreams. i’ve always, always wanted to do something in the lines of law enforcement and justice. since i was young, i was attracted to the life of a detective. sherlock holmes was a very, very influential figure. i’d train myself to observe mannerisms and such, and an interest in people’s psychology developed in me. besides that, i got drawn to logic puzzles. on top of that, i love word search or item search games that required me to use my eyes to complete the tasks. i also enjoy time-management games. justice-wise, i do see the thrill in making sure things are righted, morally. for so long, i’ve always wanted to do something that would combine these various facets of my personality, into a career that would satisfy that part of me. when i learned about spies, i wanted to be one. although i didn’t quite like the grey areas such a career would involve. and my father wanted me in a science stream. when i found out about forensics, i knew that this was the one career i would love. i prayed hard, and sometimes i doubted that this would be my path. but i still wanted it so bad, and kept begging God for it. i knew my parents would probably hesitate on sending me overseas, but i still trusted in His provision. i didn’t think it’ll come in a way of a scholarship. and being given this golden opportunity really, really opened my eyes to His hand in my life.
my academics… i started off in high school without my usual gang. i was in the second class, and the day that i set off to ask for permission to wear my pendant, i was given the chance to move up to the first class. never looked back since. being in the first class granted me a different outlook. i learned to curb my playfulness at times, and i knew just how to bring my potential to the fullest. He made sure i had plenty of room to grow. always, always when i refused to be in a bleak environment that made me feel like a defeatist, he brought me some place that nourished me just like how i thirsted for. He really amazes me. He shaped me this much. into someone who wouldn’t back down. who wouldn’t take no for an answer to the question i so desperately need a yes for. who loved changes and challenges. who valued independence and responsibly liberty. even in college, he gave me lecturers who challenged me to strive harder than what i’d like to. He gave me the means to survive, and the will to succeed.
my family. ah. he gave me awesome parents who knew when to poke and prod about my academics. they never pushed me, but allowed me to question the paths that i took. they gave me room for self-doubt. they supported me in everything – my interests, my academics, my co-curriculars. i don’t know what i’ll do without them. my parents allowed me to be an individual, and allowed me to flourish and bloom wherever i chose to be. my brother was annoying at first, and our relationship took a rather mature turn afterwards. it’s great having a younger brother with a sizable age gap who eventually learns to be mature at a young age. =) reduces the problems and headaches.generous uncles and aunts and cousins who were so willing to help with their time and finances. =) wow. i’m amazed at how much my life is crafted for me, rather than crafted BY me.
my friends. i have a few circles of friends, and all have been kind to me. =) one particular group so far has been the optimal type. we get together almost very rarely, but when we do get together, we catch up and are so pretty close. we know each other’s quirks and such, and don’t actually mind the fact that we don’t always look for each other and have other friends. i quite enjoy that. no stress in maintaining such friendships.
alright. when i look back, i’m blown away. i’m blown away at how amazing He is. in doing this for my life. the time and care he took to crafting it. it amazes me at how much i mean to Him, despite the fact that i’m just a speck of the dust. i’m not sad, i won’t doubt, i won’t be scared or intimidated by the changes i have to make. i shan’t complain about the discomfort of getting out of my comfort zone. i’m putting my full trust in Him. because, if in 2 years, He’s conjured so many amazing things, what about 3 years? 5 years down the road, and i’ll still be amazed.
i’ve had some lingering doubts in the past. one of it would be my future career. i know where i’m from, corruption thrives. justice is impaired. i don’t want that. i’m not asking for a perfect world, but i’m looking for some glimmer of hope that not all is lost. i wonder just how things will turn out. one of the things i imagined was that i’d work in the INTERPOL. hehe. i’m still hoping. i love travel, and i love new cultures. i love languages.
dear God, i’m asking for more opportunities. i wanna be a light for you. Thanks so much. Nothing can surpass what you’ve done for me. Nothing can surpass your love for me. I’m still mind-bombed.
things to do tomorrow
tired to think or type more explanation.
huhu.
anyway:
- take photos of the recipe books.
- pack stationery into suitcase. check itemized list.
- do more bunneyhs. purple, blue, yellow, red. rainbow? XD
- minions from despicable me. =)
- mini books. more mini books. XD design them.
- design beds. pajamas. various other expressions of the bunneyh.
heeee. much love!
i’ve just gotten really busy, scattering my energy here and there. haha. like pixie dust. lol. =)
anyway, here’s why i’ve been busy:
bombardment.
wah. big word man! lol. nah. anyway, have so many ideas and inspirations coming at me that i’m at a loss on what to do.
when i see the cork coaster, i think of it as a placemat for many things that i can create – especially based on seasons. gah.
when i see the colorful embroidery threads, i think of all the friendship bracelets that i could do and give to people, but never got round to do.
when i see my photoshop program, i envision many, many graphics i can produce especially with the help of the tutorials, but never got round to do.
when i see my fireworks program, i think of all the pixel art i would gleefully do, and yet again, just plain lazy even to click on the program.
when i see microsoft words, all i can think about would be to weave stories and intricate plots and drama. but oh, i just can’t bring myself to do that either.
when i freaking look at my notebook, i see hurriedly written notes of the rpgs i should be working on, but have not finished.
when i look at my personal portfolio, i imagine all the codings and such, and all the tweakings i would do in order to achieve the perfect “WOWzer” skin theme for the boards.
and yet, none of these visions were achieved. i hate how much i’m procrastinating. i really think it’s because i’m delaying my packing. which should be done by now.
alright. in order to free up my time, and brainspace, i shall pack tonight. with the help of my trusty Packing Guide. haha. i prepared it, and yet i’m taking ages to do it. XD
Things to do when I’m more awake O_O
Alright. I’m too sleepy to continue, and I have church to attend, but I still can’t let go of the laptop.
So, I’m making a list of things i’m going to do later. =) hee. I love lists.
- Find useful websites for US packing guide.
- Compile the hand luggage guide.
- Compile the cellphone guide.
- Update the US packing guide.
- Update sources.
- Design new theme for blog.
- Eat hash browns for breakfast. YUM.
Nites.
a rose nonetheless.
well, 3, to be exact. 2 new ones. i’ve just finished it. ah. job satisfaction guaranteed.
Will post up a tutorial, once I’m done with editting the theme and such.
a few shots would do
i’m currently trying to lull myself to sleep, to no avail. argh. oh well, anyway, i’ve promised to upload a few more pictures of flowers that i took while i was on vacation. i’ve mostly taken them while in Birkenhead, Liverpool, and just a few more in Nikko Hotel in KL. Perhaps when I’m awake enough, I’ll post some more. At the moment, I’m floating between my consciousnesses.
Liverpool & London
A long overdue post.
Liverpool was great. Aside from unsavory incidents and such, we had a good time there. I can’t really remember the things we did there, but we did a lot of walking. We visited my dad’s old house while he was in Liverpool in ’88, or so. No. 14, Wellington Road. Still the old green house. From what my mom told us.
We also made a quick trip to Lime Street, where we shopped, and also visited the museum there. The Liverpool museum. We didn’t expect much, seeing as it rather small compared to British Museum in London, but we found that it had a rather vast collection of Ancient Egyptian artifacts, which my brother and I devoured greedily. We saw the Shabtis, and a few mummies, and sarcophagus, and a few more things. It was interesting. We also made a quick round around the Ancient Greek exhibition, which only showcased the weapons and the statues of the gods.
After the museum, we went shopping at St. John’s. It was a mall, and rather small one at that. Not quite what I’m used to, but it was still a shopping area. Ferguson and I shared in buying an XBox, while mom enjoyed herself at the pound shop. We walked around after that, and I bought a few more things, such as two Liverpool scarves for my friends. We went back after getting bored with all the walking. We did see a few interesting people there. I saw a street preacher, a bunch of guys wearing horsebutts and cowboy hats, a streaker carrying a blow-up doll, and a man wearing a pink satin dress. It wasn’t really culture shock, but it was more like I didn’t expect the UK would have such things, since the people seem so uptight. Haha. I quite like it though, those people who lost their bets. Football madness, I take it.
We also went to the Mamma Mia musical. It was great. They could all sing. And the audience were a good sport in giving them a standing ovation and such. Some even dressed up as though they were in the ’60s. That was interesting to watch. I wasn’t too pleased with someone clapping my head during the finale though. I was so tired, and having that being done to you was annoying. Turns out that my bro and mom got the same thing. Hah.
Anyway, Birkenhead didn’t really hold much interest for me, since it was more of a sleepy town. But it was ok la.
We went to London on Sunday. It was great! We went to the British Museum, Madame Tussaud’s, Sherlock Holmes’ Museum and Camden Town. Camden Town was an accident, a byproduct of us waiting for our train back to Liverpool. Hahah. We were shocked when we got there. It was, i think, the punk capital of London. The shops were cool, I’d give you that. There were leather shops, tattoo parlors, and piercing parlors. Whoa. Totally shell-shocked when we got there. Might need some getting used to. We were a little scared, honestly, but I think it wasn’t so bad after all.
British Museum was a blast! I had a great time photographing all the artifacts, especially the Ancient Egyptian documents – Book of the Dead, and the Rosetta Stone. That was fascinating. There were also mummified crocodiles, baboons, cats, and falcons. The Shabtis were also interesting. My mum was more attracted by the Ancient Greek exhibition. They showcased the items found in the Halicarnassus Mousoleum, which had pendants of precious stones with pictures of people inside them. Interesting. We went to the Life & Death gallery, whatever it was called. They also had this pill exhibit, where pills were woven in a long stretch of cloth, depicting the entire life of a man and woman, who took pills and medicine since young. It was interesting to see, and I felt great for not being someone who likes taking her meds. Haha. I’ve never finished my antibiotics, but I also hardly get prescribed antibiotics. Which sounds like a good deal to me. Coz if I do get new viruses, at least weaker antibiotics can still help me. =]
Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum was okay-okay la. I noticed a reduction in the wax population. And mostly boring wax. Really. My highlight was the Robert Downey Jr. wax statue, coz he was dressed up in Sherlock Holmes’ gear. So, I guess that was really what I liked. For the wax part la. Then the Dungeon of Horrors was another thing altogether. Live action now. I nearly cried. so scary. Huhu. Then we headed to a Marvel cinema, where we experienced a short 4D movie. The seats in front sprayed us with water, and our seats would give us a small punch whenever the movie needed it. It was fun! And that was it. Boring.
Sherlock Holmes’ Museum was great. I loved it. They preserved his old quarters in 221B, Baker Street. We saw statues of famous characters from his adventures, and we saw his old room, the tea room, and such. It was a very quaint old place, rather cramped, but it had the Holmesian feeling to it, so I can’t complain. I loved that place. Wee! I bought souvenirs there – a book, a small pipe keychain, and a keychain with his name card on it. Lovely. Ooh, I also bought a deerstalker cap for 10pounds. Nice. =]
The weather … ugh. When there’s wind, it feels like winter. 
made us wish we were in Dubai again. hahah. That’s it.
Dubai – Part 2
Well, after spending two nights in Dubai, we left for Manchester. The last night in Dubai was fun. Uncle John and Aunt Sharon took us for a boat ride. It was at the Al-Shindagha, if I’m not mistaken. We had a great time at the Old Souk. Souk is market in Arabic, apparently.
Mum really slaughtered this merchant (woots, finally get to use this word) when she bought souvenirs for half the price EACH. >.< Uncle John took us to a South Indian restaurant in Kawarma. We had a HUGE thosai, and purri. I loved the purri. It was delicious. =] Tasted a lot like char kueh. Anyway, after that, we walked to a souvenir shop. I loved the bowls there, because they were so colorful. But then, too expensive. EVERYTHING in that shop was so freaking expensive. Uncle John then took us to another souvenir shop just round the corner, and well, it looked like this strange shop selling strange yet wonderful things, which was exactly what it was. No price tag on anything, so we kept asking the man how much was this, how much was that, and then we just put the souvenirs on the counter and let our mum do the haggling. LOL. Poor man. I’ve yet to acquire such a useful and menacing skill, but can’t help thinking I’d have to delve into the “Ah Ma” level to haggle. >.< Not ready for that yet.
Then, with the souvenirs happily purchased at a minimum of 50% each, we went home. Trust me, we spent a fortune on those souvenirs. About DH430. >.< Oh, we got free Pepsi. XD Then we went out with Aunt Sharon, to another shopping mall. Bought myself a new pair of walking shoes, and a few more souvenirs and ate New York Fries. Yummeyh.
We went home, rested a bit, and had dinner. Aunt Sharon cooked fried rice, and soup. Delicious. Julian made cupcakes. Nice! =] After dinner, we headed to Al-Shindagha for a boat ride. We went to the Heritage Village, and basically they had replicas of Bedouin men on a replica boat. They were showcasing the lives of the olden days Arabs. Oh, I mistakenly pointed out a group of lifelike replicas sitting outside Bedouin tents. I was like, “WHOA. THAT is awesome!” and pointed. The man turned to me. Oops. They were real after all.
We walked a distance, and walked further to the boat port. >.< That was really far. Gosh. But we had fun. =]
We were really exhausted from the ride and walk, and had a sound sleep that night. The next morning, Aunt Sharon took us to another South Indian restaurant, which she said Uncle John doesn’t like, but she does. Haha. So we had a blast there too. Tried the purri, which was HUGE, and less oily, so it was good. =]
Returned home, did some last minute packing and by 11am, we were off to the airport. Catch more in the next post, “Manchester.”
Arriving in Dubai
Mum, Fergus and I took the ERL from KL Central to the airport, and it was a fun ride. Quiet, yes, but at least it was very comfortable. We reached the airport in about 45 minutes, and we had our dinner at McDonald’s. Nice. Managed to buy some top-ups for my phone as well. Our gate was at C-27, and being very, very unfamiliar with the international departure hall, we were wondering just where this gate was. Turned out that we had to take an Aero-train to the terminal where the gate was, which was rather far. *omg* Didn’t expect KLIA to be that big. hahah.
After that, we just took our time reaching the gate, and by 1.30am, we were boarding the plane. Huge plane! *omg* We sat in the middle area, and we each had our own personal tv. Which was awesome! Watched A Bug’s Life and a little bit of How to Train Your Dragon. I was little *mad2* annoyed when the pilots kept announcing things. The movies got stuck and such, grr. *humph* And I hated the seat. Couldn’t sleep well at all! I think I’ve just gotten about an hour’s worth of sleep when they turned on the lights to serve BREAKFAST. =.= great. BUT! *nerd* there was hashbrown, albeit a tiny one, included in our breakfast. So, I filched mum’s, and had 2! wee. =D that was highlight of the meal. Haha.
Fergus and I played a bit of battleship and bowling as well, but it was generally boring. Was glad when we finally landed, though I thought my ears were going to pop what with the pressure. *dumb* It was so painful! Anyway, the Dubai Airport was HUGE. *flag* I nearly plopped on the side to sleep *yawn* because it was just so tiring, and I didn’t get to have enough sleep during the flight. *pissed*
Chiu Yee fetched us, and brought us to her place. =D but it was hot – at 5am. It was hot and humid, the kind that you’d feel at 3pm in Malaysia after a hot morning and a warm shower after that. It was rather bright, too. >.< I kinda forgot that it was 4 hours behind Malaysia. *nope*
I took a nap for a bit, then when Chiu Yee was about to go to work, she took us (Julian, FN , mum & me) to the Dubai Mall. Kinokuniya was huge!!!!! I bought 2 Manga books, and 3 Colin Forbes’ books. Hardly any Japanese books, and the stickers were pricey! X.x they cost a bomb. *kaboom* seriously. 
We had lunch at the New York Fries, which was awesome! I loved the cheese, and beef and tomato sauce they whipped up just for the fries. YUMMEYH. *sigh* and then, Fergus and I went to the Aquarium. We saw a few HUGE stingrays, sharks and hammerhead sharks. Nice!!! *whee* *squee* Then after we were done, we just headed back to get some rest. lol. jetlagged. *ZzZz*
And then, before dinner, Uncle John and Chiu Yee took us to Atlantis. It was another mall, but high-end, and we had ice-cream at Cold Stone. *omg* *squee* *whee* 
No words can express just how ZOMG that place was. It wasn’t the ice-cream that amazed me, trust me, Baskin Robbins’ ice creams are better. It was the staff. You should’ve seen how they whipped the ice cream they scooped, and threw it in the air, and some even threw to another staff member to make smoothies. *whee* wooooo. very cool man! We took a few pictures at the Atlantis, and I’m still wondering what’s the fascination with Aquariums, because Atlantis had a huge one as well.
Oh, and that Atlantis is located on one of the fronds. Apparently lots of celebrities (Beckham, Elton John, etc.) have bought houses around the fronds. High-end area. And gorgeous too.
We came back and went for dinner (+ Jamie & Justin) at the Chicken Tikka. Delicious butter chicken and chicken tikka and roti prata. *omg* *omg* >=D i just love 
*squee* the roti prata and the butter chicken! wooooooo. i ate until i was too full to stuff anymore. hehe. awesome time! I wonder where we’re heading tomorrow? >=D *whistle*
update on holiday plans
wee! im back in miri, people! hahaha. nothing like a good rest from taking public transport in the scorching heat and having sucky food and spending lots of money on good food. hahaha. i get to eat home-cooked food.
anyway, was looking back on the tiny list of things i could do during this vacation.
Start miniaturing again.
Start writing stories again.
Start reading books again.
Start taking nice pictures again.
Hehe. Well, i can say that i’ve actually started writing stories, and completed a chapter.yay!!! haha. *celebratory dance* and, i’ve started reading books again! wee. just finished the red pyramid & angelology. =] sweet victory! im not a … procrastinator anymore!. hahahah.
