living with rules

I grew up living with rules. My parents had always told me what to do, or whats right and whats wrong.

I can't remember when I started making up rules for myself. But these rules have given me a sense of familiarity no matter which part of the world I am at:

•  make the bed every morning.  Despite the fact no one else enters my room or sleeps on my single bed, making the bed gives me a fresh feeling for the start of the day. Well, that, as well as it curbs my urge to crawl back into bed for a quick nap after getting all dressed up for work.
•  morning stretches.  This was just something I picked up during my days in New Zealand. I found that doing a quick five minutes of light stretches in the morning helps me wake up to face the day. Also, improving your flexibility is a very useful thing (especially when you need to reach that jar of raspberry jam on the top shelf at the supermarket).
•  washing the dishes after every meal.  Some might argue that it is more efficient to do the dishes right before the stack of dishes seem to look a little wobbly (and possibly topple if you place anything else like a spork on top of it). I however have very little kitchenware: one small bowl, one big bowl, two cups, two bread plates and countless pairs of hand-me-down cutlery -- hardly anything to stack.

Do you stand by any simple rules that has served you well through all these years?

just curious, xo

my kind of high

We all have our downs. Anyone out there who doesn't is sure to be on some kind of drug.

Most people tend to think that I am capable of picking myself up when I am having a rough day, or when I am experiencing what I call an 'emotional down-time'. However, that is quite far from the truth. Truth is: I have awesome friends. I don't mean in quantity -- I mean in QUALITY.

I have friends who:

•  drag me out for meals when they know I am beginning to neglect my health over work  I had a friend once lie to me, saying that he hadn't had his dinner when it was already 11 pm and he had wanted some company for a meal. Turns out, he had only wanted to make sure that I had a meal before I went to bed. 
•  try very hard to invite me to social events around and off-campus despite the fact that they  know I am most likely to kindly reject because of other obligations  With all due respect, I have trouble deciding between my wants and needs. When I get invitations for social events -- I am heavily swayed to comply! However, that is before my logic kicks in and warns me of all the work that will accumulate on top of the guilt I would have whilst having fun. Logic usually wins.
•  offer to spend afternoons with me during the weekends to talk about our lives in general, and how we're both faring in the big bad world  These talks with a particular friend has been refreshing me on most weekends. It is always nice to discuss your opinion on life with someone who shares similar ideals. They act like benchmarks, or like milestones to keep you in check and that you don't stray from your own goals in life. Need I mention that it is a wonderful way of subtle motivation?
•  stop by to say hello on Facebook because they know I am an egg in keeping in touch at times  I am guilty as charged. I am horrible at replying emails because I tend to want to leave my replies for later (until I get more exciting stories to tell), and then later would never make it into their in-boxes.
•  respect my space  I love being around people, but sometimes I need my space. Not because I don't like the people around me, but because I need time to reflect upon my life and reorganise the nitty gritty things that I have been shoving aside in my head. I am lucky to have friends that respect that time when it comes around. These are the people I share the most with because they know who I am.
•  cook, and then spend after-dinner pretending we're all in a rockstar band -- all just for giggles  What are friends for if they don't bring out the silliness in you! Our meet-up on every other weekend has become sort of a ritual thanks to one friend of mine. An almost healing kind of ritual where all there is is good company, home-made food, self-made music and crazy laughter. It always reminds me of how little we need in life to feel happy and complete.

So choose your friends well. They would have to be the ones that genuinely care for you through thick and thin. I have learned so much from them on how to be a better person to myself, as well as how to be a better friend to others.

This is Nivi. We found a laurel wreath on the field and decided he should be called Nivi-the-Great from then on forth. 
Now you know where I get my crazies.

You are who you are because of the people you keep around you.

Happy Friday to all! 

Feeling blessed & lucky,
xxx

PS: Thank you blair_pleasure for the follow! :)

exhausted

 (ღMayuღ)

Men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all the other alternatives.

-- Abba Eban

I did something beyond me today. I confronted a stalker. I had shook with anger and frustration while describing to him his own selfish acts. I can't say I am proud of the way I handled it. I could have been more patient. I could have been EVEN MORE understanding. But it has gone on for long enough.

thirsty merc and life so far

Things have been HECTIC! I had spent Tuesday overnighting in the laboratory, listening to eighties music playing on our communal radio while shooting DNA into tobacco leaves using our gene gun. I then groggily headed home at 7 am the next day and had trouble claiming back my hours of lost sleep because my body simply wouldn't let me sleep past mid day.

After hours of tossing around on the bed, I finally hauled myself to see Thirsty Merc (I have been waiting for this day for the past few months)!! Unfortunately, by that time, I was having a massive headache from the lack of sleep.

I have no proper photos from my night with Thirsty Merc other than this one taken with my Blackberry (I was adamant in leaving my camera at home so I would be able to dance freely).

                                                                                                                          (gogoporen)

How true is gogoporen's sketch???

Sadly enough, I eventually regretted not bringing my camera that night as I ended up being right in front of the stage. I went green with envy when I saw the lady beside me snap an awesome photo of Rai (lead singer)! Argh!

Here is a short video taken with my Blackberry of the band playing a song off their latest album. I wasn't able to record the whole song because I could not fight my urge to dance! Sorry guys! 

It looks like a crowdful of girls, but I swear there was a guy on my right who knew EVERY SINGLE word to EVERY SINGLE song.

This video is my new addiction!:

Don't you just love the doo-wop dancing?

It has been tough week at the Whitney Lab. Nevertheless, a good friend from Malaysia has returned to Canberra for her graduation and I am looking forward to spending a good time with her over the next few weeks!

Averaging on four hours of sleep this week, xo

PS: There has been a goose around the area, squawking like it had been run over for an infinite number of times. Is this something about Spring I should be knowing about?

PPS: Thank you silvii-tron and MiniDiva for the follow! :)

my favourite threesome

I miss these siblings. A born genius, a street-wise and loving brother, and a hyper socialite (in order of left to right, that is). And all with good looks! I love the girls to bits, but I am closest to Krish. Yep -- that punk in the middle.

There are only a handful of very special people in our lives that are always there for you during the hard times. Krish is one of those people for me. We first met in 2005 at the University of Waikato's hall of residence. We gradually formed our friendship (much to the aid of alcohol) over the next few years. We were spending so much time together that I was starting to even talk like a profane Fijian Indian with a Kiwi accent: "Fuck bro, you gotta get me some of that shit". You must be thinking how the fuck is that Fiji, Indian and Kiwi at the same time, but never-mind. Now, now, lets not get too carried away with the f-word. It got so bad that Krish once said I sounded "like Elmo swearing". 

I remember all those times when we would watch America's Top Model in his room while snacking on wholesome New Zealand Farmbake cookies. There was that time when he sneaked eight teaspoons of sugar into my tea and I was pretty much bouncing off the walls for the rest of the night. Not funny, Krish.

Oh and all the silly things we did! We once stank up his friends car with takeaway seafood pizza from Pizza Hut and got into trouble for that. And then there was this embarrassing moment that happened while I was visiting his family. You know which, Krish! Then there was that midnight drive to that spooky-looking place while house hunting. I also vaguely remember going to the scrap metal yard to look for car parts...although my memory is bad these days and the likelihood of that is highly questionable. I can't for my life imagine being in a scrap metal yard in the first place!

Krish was there when I was having problems with my housemate in 2009. And he was there to pick up the remaining pieces of what was left of my previous relationship this year. No matter how much apart we were, we would somehow reconnect like it was just yesterday. I've followed his family move from one home to another and felt at home with his sisters, relatives and friends. You might think this is starting to sound like a love story - but it isnt, I promise!

I am really grateful to have him as a friend and as a trustworthy confidante during all these years. And I can only wish that our friendship will take us further into each other's lives for the years to come. 

Which brings me to the purpose of this post:

 

Thank you for being such a supercalifragilistic friend! You are very, very much missed from across the ditch! 

With much love, xoxoxoxo!

PS: Hello and thank you to Jay-Sara and the-glacier for the follow! ;)

scientists at cricket + { linkies }

I was naughty yesterday.

I had stubbornly decided to go shopping for summer apparel with Robbie, and then head over to Ben & Gabby's for a BBQ despite all signs showing that I was in for a day of hayfever at its worst. Unfortunately,I had also chosen to wear a pair of shoes that were wearing my feet instead, and so my feet were in blisters by the time we finished shopping. Note to self: That shoe is going into the Ebay pile!

One pair of sunglasses and a pair of board shorts later, we were on a mission to get to Ben and Gabby's.

A forty-five minute walk had taken us twice as long, even though I was in the company of friends who had (inadvertently) made the trip there before. By the time we got there, we were all feeling red and flustered from walking so long under the dry summer heat!

Although nothing could stop this group of plant scientists from a game of backdoor cricket and then some Guiness cake! Mmmmmmm cake!

     

Ben in action.

Robbie with his new sunglasses and Laura with bf Matt.

Gabby (in checkered dress) is most famous for her Guiness cake!

Soon after, Ben was flat on his bedroom floor grovelling in frustration from hayfever, while my right eye was red from sub-conscious rubbing. Time to go home.

I had spent the rest of the night waking up every alternate hour, gasping for air without feeling a single bit of regret on how my day was spent. 

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Some stuff from the web:

+ [ Born To Laugh, We Learn To Cry ]
So men are not that emotionless after all! They are just slow learners!

+ [ 3 Surprising Don'ts for Better Productivity ]
You will be surprise to find that counter-productivity increases productivity. Go figure!

+ [ 100 Ways To Show Boldness]

14. Delete files on your computer that you have kept there for a long while out of uncertainty regarding whether you want to keep them or not.

It is about time to delete those gigabytes of photos of me and my ex.

+ [ image by Kelly Montgomery via Flickr ]
Does anyone know if this is available anywhere in Australia? I am a die-hard fan of Nutella (view here and here)

+ [ The PEN Story by PENStory via YouTube ]

I love this stop-motion video and especially love the song! There are so many amazing people out there, yourself included!

Have a happy + lovely week ahead! :)

Sun-kissed and feverish, xo

PS: Thank you Pengo and Cindy for the follow!

mailed bones + { feature: Nina Mata }

It has been a busy, busy end of the week for me. I have just done a presentation on my PhD research (which is due for a repeat in two weeks time at a student conference). Exciting days to come.

Nevertheless, it has ended with a very nice surprise!

Guess what I found in the mail today! I have been waiting for this for AGES and it is FINALLY HERE!

Nina Mata's Bare Bones prize giveaway print!

I love her signature stamp at the bottom of the print! So chic!

 

And it came in the most beautiful envelope too!

I had won this unique skeletal print (drawn by Nina Mata herself!) at Nina's blog sometime during mid-October by figuring out to whom this skeleton belong to. It's Babs Bunny's. Can you tell? It was hard, but thankfully Nina was very generous with clues!

Nina is an illustrator and graphic artist from New York. Previously working as a Graphic Designer, Nina had quit her steady job to do what she loves most -- to illustrate children's books. What I love most about her work is how they are drawn of everyday life in a different perspective. And then there is that added touch of cuteness to them! Here are some of my favourites from her 'love es strange' series:

 

Aren't they adorable??

Nina is also one of the sweetest people that I have met so far (in the blogosphere, that is). So visit Nina's other artworks at the beautifique studio and don't forget to stop by her blog just in case she has more goodies to give away!

Thank you Nina for the lovely piece of art (and bf for the postal work)! I will be spending my weekend looking for the perfect frame!  

Havin' a fantastic Friday, xo

PS: Thank you audaud for the follow! :)

ldrs and all that

(click image to head to their official website!)

Thirsty Merc is on their 2010 Australian Spring Tour all October/November and I've got tickets to see them live at the ANU campus on the 17th of November!! I still find it amazing how ANU houses live gigs from big bands like Shihad, Tame Impala and THIRSTY MERC in its own campus bar! Ha! Sooooo glad I picked the right university to attend!

I am head over heels in love with the song "Someday Someday" just because it reminds me of so many things that I have experienced over the last few years -- mainly being in a long distance relationship (LDR).

We have become so global that it is almost impossible to not be in an LDR at some point in our lives. I have friends who shun being in LDRs because of the effort it takes: the time difference; the lack of physical touch; its high expenses; the insecurities. Yet, on the other hand, I know others who make LDR seem like a walk in a park (and we are not talking about open relationships per se). 

It seems like the secret to a successful LDR is a special kind of understanding that could only stem from patience and true love.

So here is Thirsty Merc expressing what so many of us might be feeling out there:

Have you been in an LDR before? What do you think are secrets to a successful LDR?

Feelin' the love, xo

PS: I am half expecting my friend Jen to pop up from somewhere inconspicuous whilst jeering "you're such 

     a softyyy!" at me. It's not like she hasn't done it before.

lab-bound + { linkies }

Whats been up lately?

Well, Heather (our lab technician and mother/caretaker of all lab occupants) is leaving soon, so we had an extravagant farewell afternoon tea for her today. And then there is my report and presentation due next week; and my mom is going to Macau this weekend with her grown-up friends. Lucky woman.

The saddest thing is that lately I have been so busy with lab experiments that I have had to cancel dinner with a dear friend. Also, I have had less time to blog and catch up with what has been going on in the blogosphere. I know -- its saddening (well, it saddens me at least).

Being lab-bound is awfully dreary. Sometimes, I would look out from our tissue culture laboratory and really wished I was on the other side of the glass pane.

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Despite all that, I have managed to gather some linkies over the past few days:

[ The XIX Commonwealth Games - New stories in photographs by Boston.com] 

Amazing pictures for those who were absolutely ignorant of the nineteenth Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi this year:

+[ How To Declutter Your Home ]
My favourite bit of the article:

Holding onto ANYTHING that doesn't have a working role in your home won't allow you to create new space for ANYTHING new to come into your life — things, jobs, people, opportunities, etc. Even as we bring new things in, we need to bring old things out. In this way, we ensure a vital life flow in our lives.

+[ 30 True Things You Need to Know Now ]
Another one of those list on life lessons to be learnt. I am highly addicted to these things!

29. Mental health requires freedom of choice. No matter how bleak or desperate a situation may appear to look, we always have choices. Even with the absence of answers or direction, we do have the power to choose what our next action is. We can choose to ask for help; we can choose to pray; we can choose to get up in the morning, get dressed and forge ahead. The ability to choose gives us power. We can use that power to begin removing the obstacles that confront us

+[ Sébastien Preschoux's '9 colors' ]

Sébastien Preschoux is a French artist/designer who creates artwork based on spirographs, thread tensions and acrylic paint. 

This '9 colors' installation was done in France, whereas his other works have been done in the forest of Argentina and also in Germany. Check out his other installations and artwork --> here <--

        

 +[ Simon's Cat 'Cat-Man-Do' ]
And how evil is this kitty!!

Note-to-self: useful in near future for lazy mornings at boyfriend's.

 HappyDDiwali / Deepavali to y'all! 

No idea what Diwali is? Click --> here <-- to visit Wikipedia!

OMG its Friday!, xo

PS: My heartiest thank you to ShutterYakLady, beaverpoop2 ( I personally think your nickname is uber funny + cool!) and awesomely chic for the follow! Also to Melissa Arnold! :)

the great hall

It has been some time since I have let you in on that side of my life. You know, that social side that I so seldom embrace?

My hall of residence organised Graduation Dinner last Friday at the ANU Great Hall to commend all those graduating, as well as to celebrate the ending of yet another Semester of university life. I, of course, was nowhere near graduating, but was cornered convinced to get my ticket for the event by friends.

To note, I have successfully deflected all invitations of formal events (read about my fear -->here<-- ) this year, and have only failed with this one because I was told to dress-up AFTER I bought my tickets! You'd think I would've thought that a graduation dinner had formality written all over it.

The hall, as me and my friends cosied into a table at the front.

On the opposite side of the table was Hamad, Raphael and Damon. 

The fact that Raphael and Damon were speaking mostly in Portuguese made dinner feel fairly exotic. Hamad had TWO servings of dinner and managed to finish his dessert. He later blatantly admitted to starving himself that week.

Bhavya & Jen with a dessert that the flash killed; a dessert I would've love to call 'Nipple Mountain'; and chocolate mud cake.

I decided to sneak over to another table at some point during the evening after the occupants of my initial table have had too much alcohol. I did ponder a little while on which table would be most welcoming to a stranded anti-social scientist before settling with a table that felt most like home i.e. the one where everyone else on my floor was at.

Me and Margriet right before Carl challenged me to my second glass of wine (I am a cheap drunk!)

Margriet has the hardest name to pronounce on the floor. It has something to do with the verbal intonations and muted "r"s  that only Dutch (and maybe Portugese?) people can comprehend.

On the opposite side of the table is Carl, Louise & Rasmus

I once admitted to accidentally purchasing veil (I swear I mistook veil for venison!) and I now hear of it to no ends from Carl. Veil is bad if you think eating baby cows are bad. 

Louise and Rasmus make the homiest couple on the floor. Well, Louise actually lives in another block, but we have claimed ownership of her because she is almost always on our floor -- simply because we have Rasmus living next to our kitchen(ette). When they first moved into the halls, someone had actually asked me if Rasmus's room was a double room.

While everyone else was busy snapping Facebook profile photos of each other, I decided to strike a conversation with these candles. Pity I wasn't able to talk much to the one on the far left because it was feeling a little burnt out from the long evening. All in all, it was an enchanted evening at Hogwarts!

I'm off to make a (hopefully) spell-binding presentation for next week!

  Lumos!, xo

PS: Thank you Steve Bossenberger for the follow!

cravings + { linkies }

A few of us gathered for a last-minute birthday celebration almost one month ago. And one month later -- I am left craving for that very same tiramisu cake.

I got the 'day' piece!

Aren't these candles adorable (excuse the cake smudges) ?? 
They remind me of the movie 'Madagascar'!

So, whose birthday is it next?

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Also, I was going through my inbox today and found some really random links from the past that I thought would be fun to share:

• { Show Me How! } How to booby trap a bathroom?
• { Color-and-Me } A personality test on how you prefer your objects coloured.
• { 88 Important Truths I've Learnt About Life } I live by 2 and abide by 83.
• { Past Life Analysis } Absolutely fun and funny if you believe in reincarnation!
• { How to Make 3 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake } No more excuses to not bake!

Ah, and then there was this picture of two starfishes making love on the beach:

(phlog that!)

Random entry, I know. 

Though with that said, this week has been a week of (lovely) random events for me. So much so that I am actually feeling sorry to see this week come to an end. I hope next week will be just as entertaining!

Happy Saturdays!, xo 

PS: Kudos to DyllaFadzil the Biotechnologist and MaR for the follow!

bombay

I am quite sure these words I am typing/about to type out right now will go unread, especially if you've already gotten a glimpse of the Vimeo thumbnail I am about to share. Clicked 'play' yet? No? I'm impressed.

Like they always tell you in science -- always read cautionary label for prior advice:- Get rid of the kids! for the next six minutes, relax, and focus (but not too hard). This video is super trippy! Enjoy!

I will now give you a moment to catch your breath.

You're welcome, xo

PS: Thank you to both Isha Shiri & Adoption of Jane for the follow! :)

overload

(Chrissie White)

The urge to take in all the wonder around me gets so intense that at times, I shut my eyes and embrace the darkness.

Have a super Friday! xo,

thank you, telstra. / {Echo} entry

click for more entries --> {Echo} Week 23 - Minimalist

I was making one of those odd-hour visits to the lab (click here to find out what I do) because I wanted to work my mind off things. I was feeling in limbo. I get like that when I am distressed, or when things are out of routine or beyond my control.

On my way to work, I managed a glance at the Telstra Tower.

And then, I had a sudden moment of epiphany:-

Lately, I have been wanting to do so many things that I started losing focus on what mattered. I lost track of what I had to do and got myself confused between my wants and needs. Distractions, emotions and obligations were starting to feel like a handful.

When I saw the Telstra Tower, I realised how much it stood out against the sunset. Against everything.

It was then that it hit me -- I lacked focus. It didn't matter what I wanted to do as long as I focused on one thing at a time. I decided to minimise my goals. I didn't need to be an excellent PhD student, read every book in the world and be the uno numero housewife to myself, all at the same time.

Tsk tsk. I live to disprove the fact that women are said to be good at multi-tasking. Well, either that or I am a man!

Zen-ned, xo

humble minds

(Malik Alatiki)

Some of the most beautiful things are on the opposite side of the lens.

Only beautiful minds are able to capture essences of moments -- these minds of humble people that prefer to be on the other side of the lens.

Yay for Friday! xo

going bananas.

I received a tweet this morning: "@JaneGoodallInst: Today through Sunday is the 2010 JGI Webstore Clearance Sale! We need to make way for new products this holiday season: http://bit.ly/bbgWjs (link)". 

I haven't done any online shopping lately because I was too embarrassed to let the receptionist at my hall of residence hand me (yet another) parcel from Ebay. But sales are good. Sales from the JGI is even better i.e. USD 9 for a piece of apparel is pretty awesome!

I made a purchase! Tee hee! I was quite worried about postal charges as it would be travelling halfway around the world but to my glee -- NO POSTAL CHARGES! Whopee!

Excellent morning, I must say. So head there and grab something before they run out! Remember to look around and support JGI because they do good.

Happy shopping! xo