Rainbow

People always say there is light at the end of the tunnel. And there is always a rainbow after every downpour. Today, I can see the rainbow in my heart:) 

Great ! Daddy will pick you from KLIA. We are looking forward to see you especially Jolin who is asking every other day.  We will go for big fat crab !!
 After reading that message, my heart melted. There is a warm fuzzy feeling and happiness. I've been too cold, too distant sometimes, especially when it comes to asking me to carry out tasks when I'm busy with something else. I will treat them half-hardheartedly. And in instances when I get a response like this, I will think that I must make it up to them to be able to deserve that magnitude of love and kindness. 

Thank you for remembering your daughter's favourite Fatty Crab and making me feel so loved in the family. You have always been a great giver of love (to us), Dad, and a great lover for Mom, I'm sure. 

Dad, if you're smiling despite the pain, thank you for being so brave, so determined in front of us. 

To recap today's lesson, being in the right company is all that matters. Even when a hiking trip goes wrong and things get out of hand, being with the right people calms my mind, knowing that they are capable to protect me or guide me, or at the very least accompany me and stick with me through thick and thin, it gives me such assurance and peace of mind. I don't expect friends to be forever or to keep in touch too frequently, but I would love it if they are there when I need some company for some specific purpose. I am very lucky to be where I am now, and of course I shall make full use of this before time changes everything. 

Family members are never the wrong company for anything. Every activity with them, even if it's just eating at a food court and going swimming, have such a feel-good factor to it because we're spending an entire day out together, which is rare now since everyone is outstation or always shifting around. I would have to find some acts of kindness to show them how much I love them since I am not at home most of the time. 

Ideas: For Jolin, I will buy her a girly gift, now that her taste is more grown-up than before. Perhaps a perfume, fruity lip gloss or some unique souvenir. 

For the brothers, chocolate will do! I already have Easter eggs, so maybe I should get the chocolate frogs as it reminds me of Harry Potter! Ultimate gift for Jason is the Taylor Swift concert tickets I suppose:)

For Dad, the best present I can think of is to cook for him:) I want him to be proud of me, and since he loves food, if I can make a good, finger-licking irresistible meat dish, probably chicken chop or any other chicken recipe, it will be good enough to impress. 

Alright, that's everyone related by blood! I have a letter for Mom and will buy flowers for her too:) 

What to do when I get home

- Deliver all those promises mentioned above. 

-Stay at home more, and spend time with Jolin/Jason. help/advice/mentor where possible

-Discuss Melbourne trip with Dad, update him on course/semester/graduation/plans after graduation

-read the newspaper, catch up with happenings, analyze everything to do with the media industry, particularly the jobs section- search for media related jobs and see the trend- find out what is most wanted for hire. 

-Play the piano

-Go hiking

-Go to anime meeting in Taylor's ONLY WHEN INVITED 

-Go for laser treatment, order acne 1 again (4 bottles)

-Maybe meet up with Poh Li

Till death do us apart

Ok, I was supposed to be researching materials for my advertising essay until I stumbled upon someone's blog about marriage. The topic was a fresh one, about how he thinks his wife married the wrong person- a.k.a. him.

First, what caught my attention was the term 'till death do us apart'. This term which is uttered in every marriage vows with the 'I do', followed by the exchanging of rings and a kiss almost feels like a compulsory saying with no real value. My mind automatically jump back to my parents- how they really fullfilled the vow- till death do us apart. During that time, Dad never once stopped caring. Never once did he complain about being tired, never once did he get moody or express exhaustion or frustration, this is the only instance in my life I really witness someone duly keeping their words until the end.

In my mind, I imagine a young Mom and Dad, all dressed up in their wedding costumes, and exchanging the very same intimate vows in front of close family members and friends. Who would have thought that life would be so cruel. But at least, Mom left behind four healthy and wise children, all knowing how to take care of themselves, all independent. I am really moved that Dad has the kind love and patience that a spouse can only provide. Their romance might have been relatively sweet and simple, and not overly dramatic and passionate or wild like in Hollywood movies, but this time, the showcasing of feelings can be seen through the devout love and care, the time and patience laboured, it is so real that no one can deny that this is another form of true love.

That is what marriage should really be all about. I think it is as simple as love and commitment. And obviously working to make things right despite the little flaws, mistakes, or annoying habits/views that a person has. After all this (plus discussion with Rose and Yan), I want to believe in the Chinese saying of fate and destiny. And getting married or getting into a relationship is not about showing off, unlike dating, where the time can whiz past with some fancy outing, or some dinner-talk-drink situation. Getting married and getting into a relationship is ultimately about real commitment, where one has to be prepared to take responsibility for the other person, and take his/her life into account like a close-knit family member would. To tolerate each day with the same person, alone, in one house sounds terribly scary, but the thought of being a mother and raising kids, making meals, etc. sounds very warm and endearing.

The blog was on about how they can never exist a perfect soulmate, and to look for that in a spouse/partner is wrong as no one can completely fullfill another person's criteria in all terms during marriage/co-exisitng together under one roof. I agree in that no one is perfect, and maybe no one can completely be the person you're looking for, but I think chemistry and mutual understanding is very important. Even in the dating stage, these things can be seen through. I must have the highest comfort level with the person I were to marry. And of course, the marriage vow is really something serious to consider, although a proposal seems romantic and carefree, like 'I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you'. This can only be appropriate if you feel like you truly know and understand the person, regardless of the duration of time you spent together. Even within a short amount of time, you can learn a lot of things about the person if both of you are able to truly communicate. Marriage means that you are really ready to be with the person, and continuously put up with each other, even if you drive each other crazy with annoying habits. I suppose it is wise to think twice before marriage, but it is alright with a long-term boyfriend that you find that you really have no qualms spending an entire week, month or year with.

Soju time

Before I forget, I just want to write down the wonderful feelings I've had today. I went with Anastascia to meet the group of people from Your Culture My Culture. It was a little bit awkward in the beginning when everyone gathered in front of the McDonald's and I didn't know anyone to chat to. The only other white Australian in the group, Simon, chatted me up and we talked about British and Australian accent, the course he was doing etc. etc. It was really all polite small talk until we get to the point when we had the food AND the alcohol. Only right then, did I begin to really understand the theory that alcohol serves as a social lubricant. The alcohol- in this case, Soju, was the best part of the night. It tasted milder than the whisky I had at Haikal's birthday, and thankfully was not as bitter, although I could still taste the liquor stench everytime I down it. Simon referred to the soju as 'poison' halfway through the drinking games, when our table had downed two full bottles! 

I was really happy and glad that I came to the gathering. All thanks to Anastascia really, otherwise this wouldn't have even crossed my mind as I am quite a timid person when it comes to breaking the ice with strangers. But today, I must say I did really well! I chatted to a number of Malaysians, and suprisingly, it still amazes me up till today, that the Malaysians I encounter always happen to be Taylorians!! And usually from Business School! That put me at an advantage as we had a mutual topic now, something we have in common, and it is never boring to discuss how Adelaide fares compared to Malaysia and how we each find the environment. Of course, even a Burmese agrees that Malaysia is better than Adelaide, solely due to the food and the amount of eateries we have at Lakeside! 

The best part was that most of the Taylorians-Malaysians are really chilled and laid-back. It was very humbling to know that Er Whey and the TAS people still have some connection in my life in Adelaide- as I could talk about them at length to the Taylorians- they were some part of a society that I once belonged to. And suffice to say, the people in TAS, I've known them quite well to some extent. Old and behold, there was a girl who bear such an uncanny resemblance to Sin Mun! Her name is Cyndy, and she knew Er Whey as well!!! That made me feel very uplifted for some reason! There's this happy fluttering feeling as she mentioned sightings of me and Er Whey while I rambled on about tales of my time at Lakeside and at SLC with the bunch of TAS people. It was definitely something worth talking about!! And until now, I havent had a chance to talk about my life at Taylor's like this- so casually- to a bunch of strangers upon first meeting! It was a very happy moment for me, when I could talk properly (despite looking drunk!) about what I've done in Lakeside campus, relishing my memories and had some random strangers relate to it so well! 

I felt so grateful because everyone was so easy to get along with, especially Cyndi and this guy called Marcus. Due to me bringing up Anime Society, he asked me what anime do I watch, and ended up recommending some animes for me to watch, while he talked about one of the famous shows, Running Man! It went really well, considering we were separated at different ends of the table, I managed to get to know almost everyone, and chatted to a few of them at least! I find it really funny that everytime I drink, I would get horribly flushed red cheeks and bloodshot eyes, but still laughed as if I'm high, and everyone around me would be asking if I'm alright, and I would have to keep reassuring them countless times that I'm fine and I'm completely sober! Drinking games are so fun, I love it!! And having experienced it first-hand, it couldn't be truer that a little bit of alcohol actually warms people up and break the ice instantly, and makes people laughing and more chatty than usual! 

Still, I am really grateful that: 1) I have Anastascia. 2) I am from Taylor's 3) I've been in Anime Society and know all the important committee members, particularly Er Whey, Brandon Lee, and YZ

All those three factors combined are overwhelmingly helpful in my success in talking to these people and the fact that I'm Malaysian, I have a plethora of subjects to talk about- the food, the weather, the upcoming break, the future (what to do after graduation), and the likes!