Thank you volcano

So I guess I have been too stressed recently. I realised that my talent in sleeping is gone! The magical touch on the bed that makes me feel sleepy instantaneously is gone! I've been so not in a mood recently, especially after uni started.

Thanks to the volcano that has been causing so much problem for making the school and lecturers extending the deadlines of courseworks and postponing the seminar.

Since I am having a day off tomorrow (not skipping lecture ok??) I cooked 'mee sua' just now. Yummy! It reminded me of home. Last week, I suddenly had a crave for sarawak laksa. So dear and I decided to cook laksa and invited a number of non-sarawakian friends to eat laksa. I can't wait till exam finishes and I will be going back to Malaysia! Er... please volcano. Stop erupting and let me go home please?

So, what did I do during my easter holiday? First week, I was slacking. Second week, I was in Iceland. Third week, I was PARTY-ING!! My new friend Michelle from KL came to Manchester to visit her friend and stayed in Dalton Ellis. She's a great chef and cooked so much food for us. 皮蛋瘦肉粥， 黄酒鸡汤， 猪脚姜醋... Then we had fun and talked and played till 3 or 4 am everyday! Ya that was during the holiday and I wished holiday has not ended :( She's a really friendly and playful friend and I really enjoyed the moments with her in Manchester. Wait for me in KL ya Michelle!

Also, over the easter holiday after eating so much, I became fat.....

Uni starts again

Airspace closed!! But I am in Manchester! Luckily I went to Iceland between the two eruptions. Or else I would be stranded in Iceland and burn a big big hole in my pocket! I got to see the Eyjafjallajökull volcano before it erupted. It was still nicely covered with snow when I saw it. While in Iceland, I got to see another volcano that just erupted on 21st March. Thank God for blessing me to back in Manchester safely and, more importantly, before all the chaos that is happening right now. 

So this is my first time blogging using my new MacBook. I am really satisfied with my MacBook. What happened to my old laptop? My poor Dell Vostro died. The nvidia graphics card killed it. I saw from the forum that a few other laptop models of other brands had the same problem too. So, I guess it's not Dell's fault. But sorry, I don't want my second laptop to be a microsoft one anymore!!! 

I was hesitating whether to buy a mac or not at first. I thought I could survive with my blackberry. At least the email part is solved, blackberry is good with the email services, but who knows, the uni just loaded us with presentation, courseworks and poster before the holiday. So I had to get one. (I admit that I couldn't resist the lure of the little white MacBook when I saw it. I knew it wanted me to bring it home!!)

Anyway, uni is starting today! It's nearly 2 am now. Whenever I think about MLP, I just feel extremely annoyed. I am not exaggerating but I really do feel EXTREMELY annoyed. Tell me, how can you learn to be a leader by making poster? Don't tell me that we can get the 'inspirations' from the leaders that we are going to discuss about. Nonsense! What is the difference between reading their biographies and discussing about them? I don't think that would have a significant impact on anyone. I am so not convinced. I don't know for how many times I have complained about this MLP. I've told you, I am EXTREMELY annoyed!

Ah, going to bed now. Too annoyed.

Are you a chemical engineer?

You might be a chemical engineer if:

• You have a favourite pump manufacturer
• You can quote scenes from any Monty Python movie
• You can size distillation columns in your head, but need a pencil and paper to figure the tip on a $45 restaurant bill...
• ...and think that spending $45 for dinner is exorbitant
• You see a good design and still have to change it
• You can remember 7 computer passwords but not your anniversary
• You know who invented Jell-O
• The microphone or visual aids at a meeting don't work and you rush up to the front to fix it
• You've modified your can-opener to be microprocessor driven
• You think "cuddling" is simply an unproductive application of heat exchange
• You've actually used every single function on your graphing calculator
• You've ever described your spouse in terms of MTBF
• You stare at an orange juice container because it says CONCENTRATE
• You can name 6 Star Trek episodes
• You've ever considered installing a scrubber on your chimney
• The only jokes you receive are through e-mail
• Your idea of good interpersonal communication means getting the decimal point in the right place
• You automatically associate the words "sexy," "beautiful" and "new butterfly valve"
• You look forward to Christmas only to put together the kids' toys
• You've used coat hangers and duct tape for something other than hanging coats and taping ducts
• Your ideal evening consists of fast-forwarding through the latest sci-fi movie looking for technical inaccuracies
• You have any of the following personalised items:
  • Hard hat
  • Safety goggles
  • Calculator case
  • Slide rule
• You have "Dilbert" comics displayed anywhere in your work area
• You carry on a one-hour debate over the expected results of a test that actually takes five minutes to run
• You know the direction the water swirls when you flush
• You've ever taken the back off your TV just to see what's inside
• A team of you and your co-workers have set out to modify the antenna on the radio in your work area for better reception
• You thought the concoction ET used to phone home was stupid
• You cannot write unless the paper has both horizontal and vertical lines
• You think the value of a book is directly proportionate to the amount of tables, charts and graphs it contains
• You once burned down the gymnasium with your Science Fair project
• You think you look rather snappy in a tie and short-sleeve shirt
• You'd really like to have a T-shirt that says "Chemical Engineers Do It In Fluidised   Beds"
• You've ever introduced your kids by the wrong name
• You have a habit of destroying things in order to see how they work
• People hound you for pocket protectors at Halloween time
• You think that when people around you yawn, its because they didn't get enough sleep
• Your spouse hasn't the foggiest idea what you do at work
• Your three-year-old son asks why the sky is blue and you try to explain atmospheric absorption theory
• You have no life - and you can PROVE it mathematically
• You've explained your position in the company to a junior engineer as "I am a vast oasis of knowledge in a desert of ignorance".
• You lost your wedding ring for six months and found it in a box of brass tubing fittings in your desk
• You and a buddy spend two work days customizing each engineer's phone ring so that you can tell them apart from anywhere-using cut-up lids from snuff cans and scotch tape.
• You refer to your children as your "pilot units".
• Your work clothes are almost as old as you are....
• ... and so is your car.
• You think of the Carnot cycle everytime you turn on your AC unit.
• When you look at objects in the distance and think of mean free path.
• You explain surface tension to your 10 year old when they ask why you are adding oil to boiling spaghetti.
• You have a clock with inverted numbers that runs counter-clockwise in your office and you prefer it that way.
• You make your own shampoo!
• You pick your girlfriends by their gpa.
• You refer to your wife as my.spouse@home.com
• You have ever thought about how coffee changes colour in the body.
• You read this page for the first time on a Saturday night.
• You try to explain entropy to strangers at your table during casual dinner conversation.

You KNOW you are a chemical engineer if you've actually read this whole damn message beginning to end!!!!

Happy Birthday!

Happy 21st birthday my dearest!

Thank God for you in my life.

Thank my dear for loving me so much,

and

I love you too!

xoxo

无题

等待，
期盼，
得来的是，
失望。

不是我不明白，
但我还是，
失望。

生活忙碌！

最近都很迟睡，
一整天都坐在电脑前，
拼了命地画呀画，
打呀打，
想呀想。


从上个星期五到今天，
都过着这样的生活。


我想，
如果我这样做上一个月的话，
我真的会变成‘梨子’身材了！

Another week gone~

It happened again! I had lecture at 9 this morning and I woke up at 9! Luckily it was a three-hour lecture so I had the chance to sneak in during break. When I was going out of the lecture hall to throw some rubbish, the lecturer was standing at the stairs saying 'Hi good morning!' to me. Gosh! Obviously he knew that I had just sneaked in! I didn't have the time to take off my coat and scarf! Who would sit in the lecture hall with coat and... SCARF?? Haih, whatever. Thanks for your leniency Dr. Goddard!

So it's Friday again. Where had my whole week gone to? I finished my lab at 5 today and I just finished keying in 41*3*6 = 738 numbers in Excel. I spent the whole afternoon looking at 41 manometers. How boring life is?

So, another week gone. This means spring is near. At least the temperature has gone above 0 degree C. Daffodil shoots can be seen everywhere. I miss you so much my beloved tulips! I just love the feeling of walking on paths surrounded by lovely flowers. The sad fact is that it's still Manchester. So I am definitely going to hate the rain and strong wind during spring.

Another week gone. This means easter holiday is nearer and I am going to Iceland soon. Woo! I want to watch the whales and God, please let the weather be good. I want to bathe in the blue lagoon geothermal seawater! I want to see volcanoes. I want to see puffins! I want to eat super-fresh salmon!

Another week gone. This means summer is nearer and I will be going home soon! I can't wait till that day. I'm missing home so badly. However, before going home, there will be lots of reports and courseworks to submit, then revision and 2nd sem exam. Never mind, I will endure the hardship and I'll be going home!

But, what's the most important thing coming? Yeah, dear's birthday! What should I get him? A longchamp bag in return? Haha! What colour do you want dear?

Rants

Why do chemical engineers have to do MLP? The university must be thinking that we have too much free time. If the university think that it's such a good programme, then get all the engineering courses involved! Why only us??

In my e-poster group, I realise most of the members have less than 10 hours of lecture every week. For chemical engineering students, we have about 20 hours per week excluding the extra meeting time for lab work. When we were trying to arrange a time to meet up for the e-poster discussion, Tom and I would always say  

'No, we have lecture. After 4pm please!'  

'Then I guess no one here would have lectures at 9 right?'

'Very sorry but we do have lectures at 9am!!'

EXCUSE ME UNI! WE ARE NOT FREE AT ALL!!!

Counting hours..

I've been doing volunteering, involuntarily. 

20 hours at least for 10 credits!
Hold on..
20 hours of volunteering + 1 e-poster + 12 online discussions + 24 hours of lecture = infinity hours for 10 credits


And I just got back from shoveling soil, after painting my tyre. I got my white coat stained with red paint, my white shoes covered in mud and my jeans stained with mud, my arms aching for pushing the wheelbarrow and my nap time gone!


Anyway, I enjoyed my volunteering in Minehead Resource Center where we made pancakes for the elderly. It was my first time making and tossing pancakes (with 2 failed products ) ! They were so glad to have us there, even though it's a day after pancake day.

 my best friend, Candy

Jemma with the chef of the center. She had to pushed the trolley around to serve the elderly

Annabel and Jemma putting filling the pancakes

Sorina who handled two pans herself 

our fillings for pancakes

And I am still counting how many hours I've done...

Sleep is my only homework

I realise I can never get enough sleep. I can still feel sleepy even after 14 hours of sleep. It has nothing to do with my body clock starting another cycle or what. I only have to touch the bed and instantaneously feel sleepy, but seldom fall asleep immediately. Even though I love sleeping, I can never sleep while sitting, and that's why I hate long haul flights. I really dread flying to UK and back to Malaysia.


Lecture at 9 this morning but I woke up at 8.30am, and of course, I missed the lecture. I didn't hear the alarm ringing at all. Even if I slept earlier last night, I doubt it's going to make any difference. So who's to blame?? I really did not intend to skip the lecture!


So, it's 11th Feb today. Three more days to the day I love the most in a year. Not Valentine's Day but Chinese New Year. Seriously regretting coming to UK for this reason! Apart from a few red lanterns at Albert Square and in some chinese restaurants, there isn't any new year mood in Manchester. How sad!

我要过年！！

Anyway, wishing all my friends a Happy Chinese New Year! 

 

Update~

8 reasons why I regret coming to UK:

1. Manchester's weather is depressing.

2. Trying on clothes is so much hassle with gloves, scarf, cardigan, coat....

3. It's poundsss that I am using.

4. No good Malaysian food. (like laksa, kueh chap, spicy crab...) but the dim sum is superb!

5. Water and food turn cold so easily and I hate eating cold food.

6. WATER TAPS! The cold one is really cold and the hot one is really hot. So, I hate washing dishes.

7. I don't get to celebrate chinese new year like how it is in Malaysia.

8. Mum's cooking... I only go back once a year.. for three months. But 9 months in UK!!!


But I've learnt that human beings are just human beings, no matter what race you are. Drop your superiority or inferiority complex.

WHY?

Why does my exam always finish on the last day,

while everyone else are already relaxing and playing?