Ranting and Raving...

I'm really tired although I had the privilege of sleeping in until 8:30am. 8:30am! I think the only time I wake up so early in Christchurch is when there's something abnormal happening like, exams, catching a plane, going out of town, funerals, etc. You know what I mean. But yeah, i'm really tired now.

Had class from 10:00am until 12:00pm. Went for lunch at McDonalds down Quay Street with Kev. (An interesting experience too.) They had the stupid 60 seconds challenge and we were only allowed to start the clock after the eftpos machine accepted payment. So while the eftpos machine was processing the payment, they were busy preparing our order and by the time we were "allowed" to start the clock, they had already finished. Wow. Weren't they just super fast. Cheaters!

I have this theory, that next time we should make a huge order with all different burgers and make special requests like, no pickle, extra cheese, no onion, so that it'll screw up their stupid system and then i'll get the stupid free Big Mac when they fail to prepare my order in 60 seconds. In actual fact, I hate the challenge. No doubt it speeds up their service, but the quality of the food depreciates a great deal. Perhaps next time i'll tell them to forget about the stupid challenge and just give me nice, crispy, fattening fries! *dRooL*

Whatever.

I have a test in 15 minutes. 1 1/2 hour test worth 10%. I think the stupid maths lecturers don't know how to calculate percentages proportionately to the length of the assessment and the amount covered. I mean, the test, 1 1/2 hours = 10%. Exam, 2 hours = 60%. What the hell man. I thought you were mathematicians?!

Other than that, it's been a good day. Had my dose of bubble tea thanks to Kev who delivered it to Uni, although he drank like, 3/4s of it... but i'm happy. Wish me luck now... Bleh!

The weekend...

It's almost midnight and i'm sitting here, rather unwilling to sleep so as to keep the weekend alive. Who am I kidding? It's just that the weekend seems so short. If only we had longer weekends...

For my daily dose of drama:
Just had a grasshopper fall from my head as I was ruffling through my hair. I know what's going through your mind, did I scream like a girl? Yes, i'll admit it. Hassle me all you want. I don't care. It's just that I didn't expect anything to drop from my head, especially as i'm sitting here in the dark.

Updates for my weekend:
Attended the "Auckland Chinese Community Day" on Saturday afternoon at the Auckland Showgrounds. Don't really know how to describe it but to say that the atmosphere was home, away from home being amongst all the dark headed people as they weaved their way through the food stalls in search for a particular dish which they have missed since parting from their home land. The halls were packed with people, all eager to purchase something which they hadn't expected to buy but only to take advantage of the special deal that was being offered. You were surrounded by all the chatter of all the different languages/dialects, together with the music that was blasted from the portable stereo systems. It was almost nauseating at times when you had to push and shove just to get past. Maybe i'm just not used to it since i've grown up here. Anyway, i'll post the photos when I get my hands on them.

Watched "The Godfather" Parts I, II & III from Saturday until Sunday. What is it about trilogies? The first part is always more intriguing than the sequels. Love mafia stories though. I find it very captivating although the violence is rather extreme. If you have a few hours to spare, then I highly recommend watching the movie (if you haven't watched it yet since it is considered a "classic").

Summer school:
Summer school is going fine. The course (MATHS 102) isn't like any other math course i've encountered. I find that this course is more... theoretical? More about explanations rather than numbers. I have a few "blondes" that enjoy shouting out stupid answers to questions just to lengthen the class. But hey, I guess that's life.

Can't believe that the summer break is almost over. Chinese new year is approaching quickly as well. I'll be flying back down to Christchurch on Friday to spend CNY with my family down there, which will be nice. Hope to blog before chinese new year but in case I don't: HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

Found a computer lab!

Just as the title says: i've found a computer lab in the Kate Edger Building called the International Commons. *bLuR* I wonder how notorious Kate Edger is since i've never heard of such a name in my life. Kate Shepherd, yes... but Kate Edger? Maybe it's an Auckland thing.

Had an interesting walk along the Viaduct Harbour. I've noticed that there are many rich people out there with luxurious boats lined along the harbour and the stunning apartments that exuberates class coupled with their expensive european cars to suit their lavish lifestyles. Someday... It'll be mine someday...

Queen Street (the main street in Auckland) is always buzzing with people - day, night, weekends... but it's a nice place to just sit down and watch as people walk past, observing their personas through their sense of fashion and their body language. Through our style, whether it be our dressing, body language, speech, people with whom we are associated with, convey to those around us, be it strangers, acquaintances, friends, enemies, who we really are. It's a given that each and everyone of us have a judgemental streak within us. The question is, how accurate is our judgement of others? Something to think about...

As I walked up the hill heading towards UoA, before walking through Albert Park, I saw 2 police cars parked on the pavement. I thought the police was investigating a murder or something (you never know here in Auckland, the crime rate is so high) but the park wasn't cordoned off. As I reached the pedestrian crossing, I saw that an R33 Nissan Skyline had rammed into the back of an Air Bus (the bus taking passengers to the airport). It's bonnet was rippled, the windscreen shattered, front bumper irreparable, and the front lights scattered across the road and yet, the condition of the bus was still ok. Hehe. Talk about a bad start to the day.

It's almost time for class. Have a nice day!

Hehe. So much for engineers...

I couldn't resist posting this forwarded e-mail (sent by Sophia) about engineers --- so take a look! What do you engineers have to say for yourself? Hehe. :P

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The Four Engineers

One day, a Mechanical Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Chemical Engineer and Computer Engineer were driving down the street in the same car. The car broke down.

The Mechanical Engineer said, "I think a rod broke."

The Chemical Engineer said, "The way it sputtered at the end, I don't think it's getting gas."

The Electrical Engineer said, "I think there was a spark and something is wrong with the electrical system."

All three turned to the computer engineer and said, "What do you think?"

The Computer Engineer said, "I think we should all get out and get back in."

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Possible designers of the human body

Three engineering students were gathered together discussing the possible designers of the human body.

One said, "It was a mechanical engineer. Just look at all the joints."

Another said, "No, it was an electrical engineer. The nervous system has many thousands of electrical connections."

The last said, "Actually it was a civil engineer. Who else would run a toxic waste pipeline through a recreational area?"

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Working Team

A man is flying in a hot air balloon and realizes he is lost. He reduces height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon further and shouts, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised my friend I would meet him half an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The man below says, "Yes. You are in a hot air balloon, hovering approximately 30 feet above this field. You are between 40 and 42 degrees North latitude, and between 58 and 60 degrees West longitude."

"You must be an engineer," says the balloonist.

"I am," replies the man. "How did you know?"

"Well," says the balloonist, "everything you have told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost."

The man below says, "You must be a manager."

"I am," replies the balloonist, "but how did you know?"

"Well," says the man, "you don't know where you are, or where you are going. You have made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. The fact is you are in the exact same position you were in before we met, but now it is somehow my fault."

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An engineer & a frog

An engineer was crossing a road one day when a frog called out to him and said, "If you kiss me, I'll turn into a beautiful princess".

He bent over, picked up the frog and put it in his pocket.

The frog spoke up again and said, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a beautiful princess, I will stay with you for one week."

The engineer took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it and returned it to the pocket.

The frog then cried out, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a princess, I'll stay with you and do ANYTHING you want."

Again the engineer took the frog out, smiled at it and put it back into his pocket.

Finally, the frog asked, "What is the matter? I've told you I'm a beautiful princess, that I'll stay with you for a week and do anything you want. Why won't you kiss me?"

The engineer said, "Look I'm an engineer. I don't have time for a girlfriend, but a talking frog, now that's cool."

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Announcement: KEVIN TEH HAS TURNED 24!!

This quick post is dedicated to my dear boyfriend to wish him all the joy and happiness life can bring and most importantly:

! ~ ! ~ ! ~ HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY ~ ! ~ ! ~ !

Happy birthday to you...
Happy birthday to you...
Happy birthday dear Kevin...
Happy birthday to you...

Time to eat the cake. Yum. Made of 70% Belgian Chocolate. OMG! *LiCkiNg My LiPs* Hehe.

Hello again...

Since my last blog...

My student loan still hasn't been processed because they are waiting for UoC to verify my NEW student ID because right now, I don't exist AND they need confirmation of my enrolment which can't be done until I have been given a formal offer. Summer school fees are due in tomorrow but I just found out from UoA that it doesn't matter because they'll just send me a warning letter that they haven't received payment and will only drop me after that time. *fAiNt*! Consequence: Bad credit rating...? Haha. Who knows...

Just completed one week of summer school. Studying Quadratic Functions at the moment. Oh joy. Reminds me of high school maths. We have some freshies in our class. Dark haired blondes. So dizzy. I don't think they realise that they're wasting other people's time. *SiGh*

For the past 2 days, i've walked for at least half an hour to reach Uni. Hehe. The upside of walking: I get to exercise and tone wherever needs toning! Hehe. It's really good actually. I don't mind the walk but I get all sweaty by the time I arrive at Uni (1 hour before my class starts because I follow Kevin down to town at 7:30am). It's a good thing no one knows me here. Hehe. Oh, and i'm wearing SPORTS SHOES to Uni. No more *KiK* *KoK* when Mabel approaches. Can't believe it? Yeah, neither can I. Hah!

But, I drove to Uni today and realised the cost of it. Paid $8.00 for parking ($4.00 per hour) on a 90 minute bay so during our 10 minute break, I had to run out to repark the car, and pay for the remaining 1 hour. Thought of risking it by not paying or shifting the car but what do you know... there's a parking warden hanging around the cars. Gosh... We're so pampered at UoC - $40.00 per year! Damn cheap.

Looking forward to tomorrow because it's Friday! :)

By the way, you can find photos from Christmas until New Years in the photo section of my blog.

Here's something you may like to read, sent by Terence. Enjoy!

Interesting Facts (With Interesting Comments)

If you yelled for 8 years,7 months and 6 days you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.
(Hardly seems worth it)

If you farted consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.
(Now that's more like it)

The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet.
(Oh my God...!)

A pig's orgasm lasts 30 minutes.
(In my next life I want to be a pig)

A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death.
(Creepy.) (I'm still not over the pig)

Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.
(Do not try this at home .. maybe at work)

The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off.
("Honey, I'm home. What the....")

The flea can jump 350 times its body length. It's like a human jumping the length of a football field.
(30 minutes...can you imagine??)

The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds.
(What can be so tasty on the bottom of the pond?)

Some lions mate over 50 times a day.
(I still want to be a pig in my next life ... quality over quantity.)

Butterflies taste with their feet.
(Something I always wanted to know)

The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
(Hmmmmmm........)

Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people do.
(If you're ambidextrous, do you split the difference?)

Elephants are the only animal that cannot jump.
(OK, so that would be a good thing....)

A cat's urine glows under a blacklight.
(I wonder who was paid to figure that out.)

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
(I know some people like that.)

Starfish have no brains.
(I know some people like that too.)

Polar bears are left-handed.
(Who knew...? Who cares! )

Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.
(What about the pig?)

Damn Aucklanders.

It was the first day of summer school at the University of Auckland (AU) today. Well, for me anyway. Everyone else started yesterday. Why am I so special you wonder? Cuz I thought summer school started on Friday (6 January) which was what they had published on the website a couple of months back! Damn Aucklanders.

How did I realise my mistake? It was by chance really. We went into AU on Thursday to enquire about enrolling into another summer school course (which I was refused entry into - insufficient prerequisites - damn Aucklanders), and noticed that everyone seemed to be holding a course book. Yes, oh no. After picking up the summer school prospectus, it said "Classes will be held from Thursday 5 January to Thursday 9 February 2006". Argh! So much for 100% attendance.

The commerce student centre has a ticketing machine similar to those that you'll find in Malaysian banks where when you hear the *DiNg* or *DoNg*, it's the next number which is displayed on an electronic screen. Yea, one of those. They think that they're so damn high-tech. Damn Aucklanders.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, i'm taking a MATHS 102 course which is "recommended for students who have achieved fewer than 12 credits in Calculus or Statistics at NCEA level 3, or who have achieved at least 18 credits in Mathematics at NCEA level 2 (or equivalent)". Seriously, what is all this rubbish? Firstly, I never did NCEA, I did Bursary which is a much better system where we were graded by alphabets rather than numbers. After three years of studies at University, they expect me to remember what I got for NCEA (Bursary) AND have the documents to prove my results. Idiotic system.

So while the nice lady in the commerce department was trying to inform me that MATHS 102 is a very easy course covering only the basics and is a non-advancing course, what choice did I have when I didn't have the documents to prove my results for Statistics and Calculus at Bursary level. Damn Aucklanders! They make something so simiple, so complicated. It really puts people off.

I attended MATHS 102 today. I had no idea what the lecturer was talking about because he was describing mathematical functions in extremely simple english words which, were rather confusing and mind-boggling. But I just have to attend a 2 hour lecture, 4 days a week, do numerous assignments and quizzes, sit a test and an exam, , and I get my 15 points to transfer back to Canty. Silly really.

Complications haven't ended there. My student loan hasn't gone through. Probably need to apply for my 2006 studies at Canty first before they'll approve it. Yes people, you heard me. You'll be seeing me at Canty for my final year. Aren't you looking forward to it? Hehe. More lunches @ UCSA!

Meanwhile, i'm really looking forward to the rest of the 5 weeks left in my course. Oh yes. I will survive. *fAiNt*!

Welcoming in 2006!

Before the night ends, i'd just like to wish all of you:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

It was a very disappointing end to the previous year with regards to the "countdown" at Aotea Square, Auckland, as they had ghosts that were similar looking to those used in the "Hungry Ghosts Festival" hanging around the square to the beat of amateur drummers to which I could find no significance or relevance. It left me rather confused. A further let down was when the fireworks from the Sky Tower exploded into the sky when the Maori procession counting down into the new year was only just beginning. Absolutely poor organisation.

To sum it up, the countdown in Christchurch was of a higher standard last year where bands played until 10 seconds before midnight and there was actually a proper countdown, followed by a beautiful display of fireworks which was synchronised to the stroke of midnight. Call me bias, but the event was an absolute disgrace, being that Auckland has the largest population in New Zealand. Nevertheless, I still maintain that everything is what you make of it and we did manage to enjoy ourselves in welcoming the new year.

Before I end, just a quick update about our trip to the Coromandel/Bay of Plenty. We did try to make the most out of the trip, packing our days with fun-filled activities. It was tiring but worthwhile. Unfortunately, the southern most destination that we travelled to was Kaimai (south of Tauranga) where we were expected to stay for 2 nights but decided to cut short our trip instead of heading down all the way to Whakatane. We arrived back in Auckland on Friday instead of the Saturday as initially planned.

Overall, it is an absolutely beautiful place to visit. We were blessed with warm and sunny weather. The highlight of the trip were the beaches and the beautiful scenery along the coast along with actually getting away for a holiday. The worse part of the trip was when we got sunburnt and tanned! Can't wait for winter to whiten us again! Hehe.

Photos will be uploaded within this week so keep an eye out on the photo section of this blog.

The lesson learnt for the past week is that communication and planning is of utmost importance and without it, we're doomed for failure. If you don't believe it, you soon will.

No mass cellphone messages from me today but for those of you reading, I hope that this year will prove to be a better one for us all, practising good will to those around us. May our knowledge and experiences strengthen us through the coming year and may we be blessed in every way possible with the view of success in all that we choose to endeavour in. Once again, I wish you all a very happy new year.