biotech dinner

Whoa.. Finally.. another post after a month...
Things have been crazy..

Jaya, Shalini and I had been going up and down the uni and Kuching town just to get things done for the dinner that we organised. I hardly had time to rest, or even to have time to have a drink. Everything seems to be impossible to achieve, and at last, on Sept 7th, the day arrived.

The dinner was in Harbour View Hotel. It was most definitely a night to be remembered. I would never forget that particular night which I had spent nights planning it. Everyone had lots of fun and the dinner was quite a success.

I took some pictures but I'm not gonna upload them now. Gotta go study for another paper in midterm.

Will get back soon and tell you giys more about the dinner.

P.S. I love you...

I still can't sleep whenever i think about the accident happened two days ago.. It was really not a friendly sight. My mum even lost her appetite for lunch... Well,.. since i cant manage to sleep yet i'll entertain you guys with another post...

I finally found it!!!! I finally saw the DVD that i've been looking for a few months. It's P.S. I love you.. The movie is based on the novel by Cecelia Ahern.. I had the novel already. It's actually a bestseller. So far, i can say that it's one of the best novels that i've ever had and read.

the DVD

It's about a pair of happy couple, Molly and Gerry. One day, Gerry discovered that he had brain tumour and might die soon. As Gerry died a few months later, Holly seemed to have lost aim and all the hope in life...until she found a stack of letters before her birthday, all written by Gerry before he passed away. Each of the letter were only to be opened on the day the dates written. In those letters, Gerry had given her instructions, like asking her to go out and celebrate and have a stash for her b'day, or asking her to dress smartly for her appoinment for that day, or simply just asking her to stay happy and smile even when he's gone... Each letter was signed, P.S. I Love You. And through these letters, Holly had discovered her way to life, until one day, the letters were all read...

Obviously, Gerry is a man that every single woman would've dreamt of.. Loving, caring.. (He even remembered every single detail of Holly's life, like when her next appointment was, with who,... *sigh*) A perfect man, i should say.. Well, perfect men can only be found in story books and movies (in my opinion).. Thousands of years women have been looking for one but so far none existed. Hmmm.. (sorry for being stereotyping but i guess most of the time, it's the truth. but i never doubt the existence of a perfect man... takes time *maybe years* to find one. Therefore, for me, a nearly perfect man would be enough.. Haha!!) Talking about perfect men, there's a joke about perfect men i once read....

One day, a perfect man and a perfect woman were on a road. They were on their way back to their home. It was getting dark and it was snowing.. Suddenly, they heard a loud crash. They had accidently knocked Santa and one of them died. Two questions.

One.. Who died?

Two.. Who was the one driving?

Answers.. The perfect man died as there is no such thing as a perfect man. The woman was driving as you know how bad a woman's driving skills can be!!

For me, pleasing girls and women are easy.. As long as you make them happy, they'll feel contend. A perfect man wouldn't need money to please his partner. For me, a perfect man is someone who cares enough, doing things that the heart and thought count. Things that people always take for granted. Things like what Gerry did. Caring for her, understands her, listening (i mean, really listening) to her when she talks, remembering details and dates, buying her vitamins when she's suffering from continuous flu, being there and lending your ears when she needs you, sharing all her joys and sorrows, sacrificing football for her, kissing her goodnight, telling her how much she means to him,.. things like that. Overall, Gerry gets the award.

With so few perfect men, i wonder whether it's the reason for women to turn to lesbians or spinsters. Maybe i'll try turn into either one.. (Haha.. juz kidding)

Anyway, those who love funny, romantic novels and come across the book or the DVD,they are both worth the money..

the book

P.S. I love you...

Biotechnology?? What is it? ---Ups n Downs of a Biotech student

It's really hard to believe that in a few hours' time i'll be in the plane, flying on my way to KL. And, in a few days' time i'll be in Kuching.. Honestly, i dont want to go back to uni yet.. Have been enjoying myself a lot at home.



Lots of things happened during the holidays. Mostly they had taught me lessons on life. But hey, ironically, i still think that life is pointless and meaningless. The gruesome accident that i witnessed a few days ago did change that thought for a moment but after a while, i still stick to my stance---life is meaningless.. (still cant get that accident out of my mind, ewww...)




The only thing i dread about my holiday is attending social parties. Some of you might think that i'm crazy to have dreaded parties...but..if you are in my shoes....THINK again..




Whenever i go to social parties, meeting up with friends, realtives, acquaintance.. The popular question seems to pop out of everyone's mind---Where are you studying now?




For medical, engineering, accounting, IT, dentistry, business etc students, they wont have hard time telling to people what courses they are taking. Whereas for biotechnology students in Malaysia, whenever i answer "Biotech", people go like, "Huh? What's that?"


These are the answers that i've got so far.....






"Biotech? Ha mik lai eh? Ka chek eh si oh?" (Biotech? What's that? Become a teacher next time one ha?)


"Bio WHAT,!! Bio WHAT?? Repeat!! Repeat?!?" (from a graduate student--OMG!!)


"Biotech.. Oh... That one.. Do fertiliser one ha?"


"Biotech ah? Never heard wor.. Cham woh.. Next time jobless la you..." (!!!!)









Never mind the ah mus and the ah peks (old aunties and uncles)... But for university graduates and politicians or educated citizens to not know current issues is really a shame.. Almost daily there are breakthroughs of biotechnology industries. Newspapers being publised talking about BioValley in Malaysia. Biofuel, gene therapy, stem cell, etc...


Worst still, once during a dinner, when i talked about biotech a politician sitting at the same table looked blur..









So, everytime i have to go through the suffering of explaining from A to Z what biotech really is.. From its existence few hundred years back, from wine making to stem cell, gene therapy, insulin production, recombinant DNA, transgenic organisms, cloning, genetic engineering.. And everytime after i've explained, i see peoples' eyes popping out from their sockets, as if i've just told them that i've discovered a new planet or i've discovered that humans have at least 3 genitals.



As i vacuumed the floor that day, ive thought of a better way to explain what biotech is next time. No need for longer elaboration, no more eye-popping experiences. I'll just tell them 2 simple words that biotech is actually medical engineering as organisms are engineered and modified for the benefits of human beings..

We can be involved in many sectors, either medical, agricultural, industrial, research, food production, etc... As for me, my plan is to be in the medical sector, either as medical researcher or maybe genetic engineer..

Finally!! another post.. After 2 weeks in West Malaysia for an international debate competition (AUDC - Asian Universities Debating Championship) i finally get to settle down at home.. (well, not really settled yet as i arrive home to my horror as there are lots and lots of my own personal problems to solve)

I'm not a person who believes in horoscopes but whatever it is i guess my horoscope for the month of May is disastrous.

Things have not been flying in my direction i guess.. As i struggle to solve all these problems, sickness comes as if i've been infected by a deadly virus.

Not trying to complain here, but for the first time in my life, i've never felt so tired in my life.

My world...

Sitting here, in the faculty computer lab.... The computer lab ambiance is dominated by low-key lighting . . . and deep shadows, creating feelings of disorientation, loneliness and entrapment.

Supposedly, microbiology result is to be released today. However, as i stride along all the 4 walls of my faculty, noting one notice board to another, to my dismay the results are not out yet. This further creates the sense of nervousness, adding to the mixture of feelings of discomfort, fatique, worrisome and anxiety that i've had since the last few days.

Hopefully the result won't be another piece of bad news. Hopefully that it will turn out to be a celebration..

And I've survived my another night without sleep again. It wasn't so bad this time. I was accompanied by a friend this time, both of us struggling to finish up TMX project. The word TMX now sends shivers down my spine. It's scary.... That word alone causes sleepless nights and unending sufferings, torments and tortures... TMX is indeed monstreous. It also creates many new species of pandas in the Faculty of Science and Technology. haha!

Hmm.. Now to another topic..

Apart from being a chocoholic, i found out that i'm not only an addict to chocolates alone. If there's any penalty or chastisement of being addicted to worldly things, then i'm guilty of this crime. I found out that i'm addicted to chocolates, novels, good english movies, good dramas and music.

Now, when i say the word addicted, i don't mean by just loving to do something. What i mean by addicted is "FALLING HEAD OVER HEELS, CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE or CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT IT". Yeah. That's what i mean by addicted, that sort of addict. Or, could be more of an obsession... I don't think i could survive a day without chocolates, my novels or my favourite drama (Huang Jinyi) and, i couldn't even breathe properly if i don't have music around me. It's this sort of addict.

Music is great. For me, it's the best thing in the world. It's even greater than magic. When you're happy, it makes you happier. When you're sad or depressed, it either comforts you or makes you depressed more than ever. When i fell sick twice that day, music had relieved my fever and made me feel more comfortable. When you are lonely, it acts as a friend or a lover that stays by your side. It's like a trophy, encouraging one to achieve success. It also carries messages around. One does not even have to speak, just by music alone one can converse. Feelings are expressed. So tell me, what else is more magical than music alone?

And personally, i think that one can never be a human without music. People since the last century communicate through music, whether to please a king, to praise and worship, to converse, to win achievements, and to convey and express one's feelings (be it sadness, euphoria, love....). Princes and princesses in fairy tales are undoubtly famous in expressing their love through music.

Talking about fairy tales i personally do not believe in fairy tales. People tell me life is wonderful, life is a fairy tale. Probably theirs is. But mine is more of a life full of it's own ups and downs, although lately i feel more of its downs and ups. But, if you were to tell me if fairy tale exists, i wouldn't believe in that. However, if there's such thing as a fairy tale life, hopefully it would be mine one day...

I wonder...

I've certainly taken a long hiatus from blogging...
And... Finally, i'm back..
These few days have certainly turned out to be hellish days for me.
Bad news, bad news and more bad news....
It all started like, uhm... 2 weeks ago?
Assignments just come and go.. It's like they never end. After you've completed one, there are 5 more waiting for you..
Boy, you should have taken a look at my room.. I'm so disorganised...
But i've certainly survived 40 hours without sleep (not even a minute!!) (and i'm proud of it) Hehe...
Next, yesterday i received a piece of news that i'm going to be sued... And results don't turn out to be good as i expected.. And to my horror, more bad news..
ARGH!!

Don't be the next

First, dengue.. Next comes HFM ( Hand, Food and Mouth) disease. What am i talking about?

I'm talking about something what is currently going on in UNIMAS. Yes, u heard me right. UNIMAS. Up to date, there has been 10 cases of HFM in UNIMAS (that's what i heard). 3 of my coursemates have been infected and certified by the doctor that it is HFM.

So, guys... Please, please don't be the next victim.
1. Wash your hands before you eat. This is important!
2. Wash your hands after you've been in the toilet
3. Cover your nose and mouth when u sneeze or cough.
4. Don't try to be helpful ( Get away from your infected friends; don't try to help them - u can be the next one who spreads the disease)
5. Be selfish. (if u are infected, dont be generous by giving the disease to your beloved friends. Listen to the doctor~just stay isolated in your own room)
6. Look after your hygiene.

Gosh.. (I sound like a doctor or a medical officer).. But these are simple steps that u can help to prevent yourselves from getting infected or prevent the disease from spreading.


You must have wondered why universities students are also infected by this disease. Isn't it only applicable to kids below 12 years of age?

From what i know, yes, HFM is known only to infect children. I was surprised to learn that university students this year are also infected. However, there's no death cases reported like those of children. Only high fever for 3 to 4 days and rashes on hands and feet.

For the past few years, cases of HFM have been increasing. The worst case would be the one in 1997. Schools were closed down and public parks were left deserted. There had been no known or only a mild few cases of adults infected.

So, throughout the years, the virus must have become 'stronger' and infects adults too..

Perhaps in the future (my own hypothesis only) the virus might undergo mutation and even adults might die too. (All virus will undergo certain stages of mutation~depending on how serious the virus mutates) Hence, there has been frequent movies on outbreak and scary, uncontrollable disease caused by virus (28 weaks later, I Am Legend, etc..). Even scientists predict that the HIV virus will undergo mutation and get airborne in the next few years.

And they've predicted instead of our planet being destroyed by Planet Nibula in 2012, the human population will be wiped out by contagious diseases. (as we can see the increasing number of contagious disease~SARS, Mad Cow Disease, Ebola, etc...)

Cross my fingers and hopefully all this won't happened.

back to reality..

It's really hard to believe that time flies fast when you are having fun and it crawls slowly when you're not.. It has almost been a week that i'm back in Kuching.. Seriously, reality sucks, man... Back in Kuching, you've non-stop assignments, tutorials, reports and projects. Whereas life in KK is wonderful.. No worries (except worrying abt your debate)

I seriously learned a lot while i was in KK..

The first day (27/12)...

We arrived at around 4 something.

1st thing that I've learnt -

KK airport is smaller than Kuching's

2nd thing that I've learnt -

KK isn't as big as i thought.. Bah, so much to be called a big city..

3rd thing that I've learnt -

There's no such thing as roti cheese or roti susu in KK. The waiter looked blur when i ordered those.

4th thing that I've learnt -

Citizens of KK have never seen a Chinese with a group of Indians eating together.

We checked into a lodge which was quite good (2 person sharingone room, king sized bed, with air cond, hot shower, wireless internet connection, lobby with TV/astro, novels, pantry with tea and coffee and clean toilets)

See.... That's why life sucks when you return to unimas..

On the 2nd day (28/2)

Briefing on techniques and the art of debating. Kinda dozed off halfway through the briefing.. Then.. came the 1st round.. UNIMAS 2 debated against UMS 2 (and won) UNIMAS 1 won too.. HURRAY!!

Things that I've learnt on that day-

1. KK is just beside the beach (beautiful!!)

2. UMS doesn't turn out to be as beautiful as i thought it would be ~ just blocks of high school buildings ~ some people said it's the most beautiful uni in South East Asia.. Can't agree with that... UNIMAS is prettier, i think

3. We went to the Likas market after the competition for dinner. Tried the ABC there. Weird. They have macaroni in it!! And they smoke everything.. Smoked fish, smoked crab, smoked sotong, smoked prawn..

can u spot the macaroni?

Food in KK is seriously different from here.

4. There are really LOTS of filipinoes here... And they look scary..

The 3rd day (29/2)

Competed in another 3 rounds ~ it was tiring.. We were treated to a Grand Dinner which the results of which uni got into the quarter finals were announced.. And once again.. UNIMAS 1 ad UNIMAS 2 made it!! Whoot whoot!!

Things that I've learnt on that day-

1. UMS chancellor hall is pretty!! It's like a 5 star hotel ballroom!!

saw Xin ying too.. Was surprised.. Never thought that could meet someone that u know in such a big uni..

The 4th day (1/3)

Quarter finals, semi finals and finals all today...

Quarter finals UNIMAS 2 went against Sinaran and UNIMAS 1 went against UITM sabah 1. Both got through quarter finals and went into semi finals!! YAHOO!!

Finally, in semi finals, UNIMAS 2 went against Swineburne 2 - lost

UNIMAS 1 went against UITM sarawak 1 - lost (sob sob)

But was happy and proud to have made that far (not bad for a first time debater ~ haha)

Went to the market again after that. Tried coto makassar (Sabah food) ~ a bit like tauhu chap with beef intestine, liver instead. Don't like the taste, though..

Things that I've learnt on that day -

1. Coto makassar

2. Chicken rice or generally food in KK costs a lot!! 1 plate of chicken rice - RM 7.90, plain rice only - RM 2.

3. UNIMAS debate members know not only how to debate, but also how to have fun!!

Hey guys.. Guess where i am.. I can actually access to the internet via wireless connection at the lodge where i'm currently staying during the debate competition (Borneo Cup).. Cool, rite?

I can't really give u guys on how it was going now coz the competition is still on-going.. I'm going to post the pictures only after i have the total recap of the competition.

Today (in fact tonight) was just when the names of the teams who made it into the quarter finals were announced during the grand dinner..

Guess what??

Both of our teams made it into the quarter finals..

was happy though.. kinda stressful too..

one of the pics taken during grand dinner..
everyone looking very grand n well polished.....

The Fate of Bananas

I don't mind if one calls me a banana* once in a while. However, if someone calls you a banana daily and you get laughed because of your poor chinese, you'll get pissed off sooner or later..

And I AM SERIOUSLY PISSED OFF NOW!!!!!!

These few days i keep on getting non-stop cruel comments about my poor chinese. I mean, it's not my fault if my chinese is poor, i was sent to a bahasa medium school where most of us spoke English. And it's also not my parents' fault.... And i'm grateful that they did not send me to a Chinese school instead. Never underestimate the importance of English...

I often get teased whenver i say or pronounce something wrong in Chinese. Once in a while, it's ok.. However, if you are being teased often, your self esteem hurts. I know my chinese sucks, but, the correct way for a friend to improve is by correcting her and teaching her the right word(s) instead of laughing at her cruelly and asking others not to tell her the right word or keeping her 'blur blur'. It isn't just fair and justified.

Think of another senario. Do i laugh at those whose English is bad? (well, once in a while anyway. But at least i made effort in correcting them) I never try to redicule them anyway. So, think of it guys! Think of my feelings! How would you feel if you were in my own place? How would you feel if i laugh at you like you guys did to me?

Isn't it justified if we can just help each other out? You help me with my chinese and i help you with your English.

Think before you say anything.

To the other bananas out there, you're not alone!!

*banana - A Chinese who doen't really know how to write or converse in Chinese.


And many thanks to some of my fellow friends who have all this while helped and coached me with chinese language..

in love...

Ever since the day i fell sick, there's one gentleman that has never left by bedside before..

He's sweet, charming... And most importantly, he makes sure that i sleep soundly..

He has grown more in love with me and i, of course have fallen DEEPLY in love with him.. Sigh,...i'm in love..

And recently, i've realised that he's spending most of his time with me than with someone else.. People are already studying for their mid term while he's always faithfully spending time with me....

I LOVE YOU, Mr Sandman.. Sigh... Sprinkle more of your dust and make me sleep.... Zzzzzz

Chinese New Year

Wow.. The 1st day of CNY usually flies faster than any other days..

This was what happened when i wasn't blogging these few days...

During the CNY eve, when i was decorating the house, the lights when off.

(there was a few minutes of electricity-less : no electiricity)

Luckily it was only for 20 minutes..

Taken during electricity-less...

Then, a few minutes before te clock striked 12, i fell sick, with heavy flu and sore throat. And on the 1st day of CNY i developed mild fever..

Oh well.. count my blessings..

This was what happened on 1st day of CNY...

Had a breakfast of mee-sua...

Mum played TV games (coz too bored-you can't sweep the floor or clean up the house anyway... And there's nothing else to clean up too...)

Then, the button came off the remote control...

And she struggled to fix it..

And I --- despite being sick, still be able to smile at the cam in my new year dress... Cheers people.. Happy CNY 2008!!

busy la...

This sem is a totally busy sem for me... Things that i have taken up this sem....

1. 22 credit hours..... (Mad and crazy)

2. Violin class... (Cool!!!)

3. Debating...

4. Doing crazy stuff.... Like.....

fooling around in class....

Fui Lin : Yo!! Biotech Boleh!!!!!

Me : Smile at the camera!!

Wand Suan : *Yawn yawn* I wanna sleep le... Anything to eat???

Happy New Year!!

Hey, it's 2008!!

While in the airplane that day, i was really reminiscing about last year......

2007 was really a year for me to grow up..... ( A year full of learning how to make hard decisions ) and also a year when i grew older by a year... Suddenly....

Air hostess : Excuse me, madam... Can you please put your laptop in the compartment above?

I mean, MADAM?!!!?! Did i grow THAT old? OMG!!!
Stupid air hostess....

She must have not put her contact lenses on yet..
I mean, wherever i go, people think that i'm still in my teens (blush, blush)

Scenario 1: That day accompanying my sis to a edu roadshow...

Consultant: Xiao jie, you just finished Form 5??

Me: *blush* Me? No, no... I'm in UNIMAS now...


Scenario 2: At the hair saloon..

Saloonist: You are now in what form ah? Form 4?

Me: Erm.. I'm now in uni liao..

Saloonist: Hah? Really ah? You don't look like you're in uni now boh..


That's why i say... stupid air hostess...