I was suppose to fly back on the 23rd dec and celebrate b'days, xmas and welcome the new year with family and friends. I've already planned my experiments 'sui sui'- just nice i'll be done on the 19th december and i just have to collect my glass slides back on 22nd dec. Everything's good. The problem is, the rat brains are usually incubated in the solution for 14 days in this special solution. But who knows! I found out that this protocol is like 30 years old. And apparantly, alot of modifications had been done to it and nobody told me until what...30th november. So, now the brain has to be sliced before incubating in the solution for 30 days. So see the problem now? I terminated my 16 rats on the 28 to 30 november. Can't slice them (total 32 brains - 16 brains sliced into halves) till 1st to 2nd december. With the 30 days incubation in the solution, that means i have to go back to school on NEW YEAR'S DAY!!! So dear family and friends, i've been working my a** off since xmas. I was in school doing work on xmas eve and i just got home from school (it's a sunday today!!!).
At least i got 2 days off on xmas and boxing day (where i went for the boxing day sale - up to 70% off!). I had a better time on xmas than on boxing day though. That's because i enjoy spending time with family(my dear girls and the christian family) and friends than shopping. I had a really enjoyable time at Pastor Steve and Keiyeng's place. They invited all international students over to their place for a homely xmas lunch as they want to be the family to us as we are without family here (does that sentence makes sense?). Anyway, lunch was very enjoyable... thanks to Pastor Steve, Keiyeng, Uncle Mike and Aunty Yileng who prepared loads of food (we girls just contributed a bowl of summer salad) such as stuffed roast turkey, ham, prawns, salads and not forgetting desserts! I ate till i was 110% full and my gastric flared up. Geez. Really a bad time to have gastric when its the festive season. (By the way, i've loaded up the xmas photos.)
I had loads of fun during dinner too. Headed back home after lunch to prepare dinner for our friends who aren't christian and were without family too. We girls just got to know them not too long ago. Katherine and Louie, who lives down the road, and not forgetting Uncle Simon (who kept bugging me to plan for xmas dinner for 1 1/2 weeks) were invited (finally! for uncle simon) to our place for xmas dinner. = ) We had a big feast again! Geezz... There's roasted turkey breast, roasted kangaroo meat ((expired for more than a month!!) - courtesy of boiboi), baked fish, (*yummy- i know uncle simon put in alot of effort and thought into making that salad) fruit and vege salad, potent mushroom soup, mashed potatoes and garlic bread. So you see, how not to grow sideways?! But i didn't eat much, due to my gastric, ate loads of salad though. We played Bang!, a really interesting card game that involves quite a bit of intelligence and LOADS of luck (Alicia would totally agree with me about this point). Initially, we were a tad unwilling to play the game, because it involves some brainwork. But after 1 round of trial and errors, the 2nd and 3rd round were actually quite fun. It was cool to play such card games as it really makes the players interact with one another. I think this game should be available in those games shop in singapore like settlers. Another card game to recommend is Sabotaur. My gastric was flaring up pretty badly in the 3rd round (it was actually already flaring during dinner, but i didn't want to be rude), therefore, i had to excuse myself from the game. I had to immediately go rest. Sorry for being a bad host, my dear friends.
My gastric pills don't really work anymore, therefore i decided to turn to the last resort- drink a cup of soya bean. And it works! But only for 20 minutes. But i've been watching my diet since. Not eating too full, too oily and heavy stuff. It's better, but everytime my stomach starts to growl, i get abit paranoid and will starting hunting for food. I don't want a hole in my stomach. It's all good now. I think i should be able to lose abit of weight before i go back. = ) All my muscles (from tennis) have became fats, therefore i need to tone myself up again.
Overall, i had a wonderful time celebrating xmas. It's weird that just last year, i was used to thinking that xmas was a time to have a fmaily gathering, having a bbq, eat delicious food, exchange gifts, opening gifts. But this year, xmas had a different meaning for me. I became a Christian this year, and i'm really proud to be a Christian. Now, xmas for me is a time to remember that Jesus Christ, our Saviour was born. Like what Keiyeng said, this historic event shouldn't be crowded out by Santa Claus (i didn't go for Bloom, but i do know what the theme was) and about receiving and opening xmas gifts. Xmas celebration should be centred about the birth of Jesus and how we should be jubilent about it. I know i am. = ))
Even though i feel a little sad that i can't be with my family and kare (it's the first time in my 21 years that i missed a xmas family gathering), but i guess Pastor Steve, Keiyeng and the christian family, my dear girls had become family to me. So it had been really great spending xmas with them. I've been horribly blessed this year..... Thank you, Lord, for all the blessings that You've showered upon my family and me.
Boxing day-- Reserved for shopping. I've heard alot of people talking about the boxing day sale. But i've also heard alot of stories about it, i guess it's something like the mid-year and year-end sales in singapore, but it's different cause it's only a 1 day sale. And i've heard scary stories from friends that the shoppers would actually go to the shopping centre 2 days before the sale (eg. on 22 - 23 dec) to 'research' on what they want and on the 26th, they would just rush to the shop, grab whatever they want, pay and head to the next shop. Yes, it's up to 70% off, but is it necessary to go to this extend just to benefit from the sale? Well, to prepare ourselves for this shopping trip, we headed out of the house at 7.45am, so that we could reach one of the major shopping centre (Chermside) at 8.30am. As the driver, i was more worrried about not getting a carpark lot. The following picture is taken outside Myer (a store, something like Robinson) at 8.45am. Mind you, they're all caucasians. So you see, it is not just singaporeans who are kiasu. When/where there is a bargain, people would naturally become kiasu, it doesn't matter whether you're asian or caucasians. I guess it's in our genes. Homosapiens just can't resist a bargain.
Anyway, it was an experience for me. Even in singapore, i would never go shopping when there's a big sale, simply because it's too crowded. Why would i want to justle around with people, get pushed just to haggle for a dress that is 50% off? Geez. We proceeded to DFO near the airport as Chermside was simply too crowded for us. I didn't get much, but enough to make me abit broke for the month. Haaa.. But i finally managed to get my shoes for kor's solemnisation. Dark brown mary janes! Super high heels! lol... I'm so going to walk so damn slowly on that day. Haha.... However, i have to admit that when i bought that pair of shoes, the thought that i might be taller than kare did not cross my mind until i came home. I'm still abit shorter than yx when i wore the heels, so it should be alright. Heee... Sorry kare.. = )
Alright.... To end 2008--
Things have been good this year. I really want to thank God for everything. The major points would be i became a chistian, I graduated with a degree and proceeded on to doing my honours in my dream field, neuroscience. Doing what i love, researching on the brain has been my passion. So i'm really thankful that i met Nick, my supervisor, for giving me the opportunity to work with him and have such a great project to work on. Though i may complain at times when work took its toll, but i'm still enjoying my work. It has been great. Research is really what i want to do. The people i've met and knew in brissie, such as Makio, simon, nick, liz, jazzyman, jess, tim, tom, kirat, boiboi, glenn, felix, adeline, kat, louie, mishie etcetc.... it could never happen unless i came to brissie. Of course, i can't been doing all this/meeting new friends. study overseas/become independent without my parents. Where would i be without them? I'm really glad that pa's eye condition has improved greatly after the operation and medicine. And i hope mummy will still hang on and enjoy their couple time together before i go back home in july for good. Haha...= ))
I'm also really thankful for my girls, for we have taken care of each other, gone through SO much together, shared our joys and sadness together, conquered uni together. I've treated them like the sisters i never had. They're part of my family now, they're not my friends anymore. They're sisters now. We were always there for one another. = ))
All in all, this year had been really great. I couldn't ask for more.
Special message for kare-- Sweetie, thank you being 'there' for me, i could call you whenever i want. Sorry i can't be beside you, when you were in pain, sick, having troubles at work and tennis lessons/coaching and of course, when you're feeling emo. I'm coming back soon. Thank you being oh-so patient and understanding. No words can describe how much i want to thank you. = ) Love you lots. = *
photos uploaded @ http://picasaweb.google.com/esdilays11/
xoxo Ei Leen xoxo
