28.2.06
mundane stuff.
i'm having grapes and kiwi now while blogging, in an attempt to stay healthy by eating my servings of fruits and vegetables for the day. just did some ironing. think it looked totally absurd cos i had no ironing board so i used the leather armchair in my room as a substitute. hmmm what else. well i had my 1st day of sch today and i was struggling to stay awake in lectures. partly because i slept quite late and actually woke up to make a quick breakfast, and partly because there wasnt anything to occupy myself with in the lecture because most of the stuff werent important and thus i had no notes to copy. i think i wun be making myself much breakfast in time to come, simply because i'm too lazy.
ok it feels really wierd to be blogging in this manner. its just so narrative and without insight.
anyhow, this whole experience has been just like a dream so far. probably cos its so different from my lifestyle in singapore. probably cos of the extended time with frens as schwk hasnt really set in (i'm gg down to another hall to celebrate a frens bdae later tonight!!). i'm sure a few of you monash students would confer. but i'm not complaining :)
oh and i carried a snake that day. my 1st.
did i tell u i was afraid of reptiles and amphibians? well i am! but my aim in australia is to experience life in new ways and thus.. i'm all up for trying new things! psst.. i signed up for wakeboarding in e end. each trip (including rental) is only aus$10. thats how cheap compared to learning in singapore. moreover i always wanted to learn smth like tt but the cost bothered me. so.. yay!! cant wait.
some due peeektures:
bowling night
scav hunt
[more pics coming up]
i fluttered by;
5:46 PM
26.2.06
those nasty bouts of homesickness.
they happened again today, the worst of the lot. its funny how these things kinda occur when u least expect them to. i've been having so much fun the whole week i was convinced that i'd be the kind that doesnt get REALLY homesick even tho i do miss home. but when i came back from the med transitional wkend camp and retired back to my room after dinner, i felt this tinge of homesickness. so i decided to translate this emotion to the action of calling home, since i havent called after my mum left for singapore. anw when i got the hse phone my whole family wasnt at home. none of my closer friends were online too. yap skyped with me for a really short while but was distracted throughout. dun blame him tho he has alot of things to juggle now, really. but anw the whole series of events just left me crying harder and harder. not to mention my friend said my family had probably gone for dinner. then i realised, yes they must have. we always had our usual sunday family dinner.
WAAAAIIILLLLLLS.
anw i finally got to talk to someone properly. after i had calmed down. parents called when they got home too, since i had left a msg. so i spent the better half of the wee hrs of the morning talking to my whole family. then cos i wasnt slpy, i went to the common room to play table tennis. u see i really din wanna be alone till i felt slpy, if not i was sure the bout of homesickness might jus creep up on me again. well anw, i realise i'm not alone.
i fluttered by;
9:57 PM
22.2.06
orientation @ monash... and a little extra.
wow. these few days have just been jam-packed with activities. yesterday we had a scavenger hunt around the city. but hey, this is no ordinary scavenger hunt. its actually a list of crazy activities to complete, of which the better half are sexual. oh well, the angmohs in my group seemed pretty happy about doing it. i almost wanted to 'report a lost chuppa chup to the police' cos each of us had to choose 1 task at least, but luckily they couldnt find a police station. phew. was planning my exaggerated act about how it was a lovely chuppa chup given to me by my bf and i HAD to find it cos of the sentimental value blah blah blah!! but then i was thinking how'd the policeman would take it. he'll prob let me off cos i'm in a grp and ppl generally get these kind of jokes but nonetheless, i think there's a law for making false reports. heh. at night, there was a trivia quiz. which was quite interesting cos i now noe that lachanophobia is the fear of vegetables!! haha andrew, thats for u. and yes thomas, goldfish dun get pregnant, even tho i said they were pregnant with EGGS. but i now realise this statement is contradictory because i jus checked the official definition of pregnant. yeah, so pregnant isnt jus getting bloated up, alright! now stop teasing and move on!!!
today we had a clubs and societies day. which is rather like cca day where u go around signing up at booths. and like smu, every club u join, u've to pay membership! theres no training etc watsoever, but u do get parties with like-minded ppl and subsidised rates to use the corresponding facility. so i signed up for tennis. will sign up for 1 christian society (and find out where the churches around here are). will sign up for the singapore students association (they organise parties with the rest of the singapore students studying in other schs in melbourne so its great for networking). and am contemplating to sign up for just one new activity because i'm just interested to try new stuff. wonder if i shld join this like outdoor activities club. they go skiing, white water rafting and mountain biking and stuff. it sounds really cool! esp since the scenery here is so nice. or shld i join the wakeboarding club. or salsa. die la. there's just too many things to try!! and i dun wanna neglect my work either. i just have to really organise and prioritise my time in order to balance between work and play, and make the most of this experience.
anw after that, a bunch of us took a bus down to clayton central to get groceries. hmm it somehow feels quite adult-ish to be shopping for your own groceries. somehow. got back, had dinner, then went for this toga party!! we all used our bedsheets cos we had no proper togas. anw the gals looked good in it, but the guys.. no comments. haha. it was rather fun, a milder version of clubbing. and with ABSOLUTELY NO SMOKE :) i just hate the smell of smoke! theres this song titled the holy grail where the guys started stripping themselves down to their briefs tho. its some culture but i wonder why. shall check out the lyrics or casually ask one of the angmohs next time. theres probably no reason actually, i think. 
[this pic is pretty bad i'll upload a better one when i get my hands on it] 
i noe this is rather ancient but these are a few memories i wanna keep. so here goes a lengthy picture post which i've left out previously. seems funny how i can leave out things so impt i still bother to blog about them even tho its past and i hav much more interesting new stuff to blog about, but even funnier that i missed them out in the 1st place.
cousin's fa
rewell gift for me. soooo sweet.
peiying's farewell at SICC
home-made fondue
peiying's awfully chocolate birthday cake
pictionary!! took really funny videos when we changed it to win lose or draw after the game ended but i shall not make this post any longer.
cousin pictures: the series
mum's vday gift: a heart-shaped egg tart!
i fluttered by;
10:15 PM
19.2.06
due information.
peeps! you can all contact me at +61431499153 (my aussie hp line) from now on. international calls are gladly welcomed because this service provider has free incoming calls, even for international ones!! :) smses are welcomed but dun really expect free flow replies because its really expensive!!
my mailing address is:
ho xin yi
richardson hall
monash residential services
building 47
monash university
victoria 3800
australia
ok now u guys better not spread my blog around if not i'll get lots of spam calls and mails.
and now for the positive experiences i promised. well i've been meeting up with alot of my dad's friend's daughters. been having nice dinners at places like flower drum (the best chinese restuarant in melbourne apparently, bookings must be made wks in advance -even for wkdays- if not you can dream on getting a table). i had alot of fun with this girl called melissa whos about my age but studying in perth. we really clicked. (alot of the other ppl i met up with are much older so its not as fun, but they're still really helpful and tell me that i jus have to beep them whenever i feel homesick, and they'll bring me out for gd chinese food!) anw mel came here with her parents to visit a friend. on the day i touched down i roamed the streets with her, going wild in arcades, and entering some pubs with no cover charge. one had a great night view of the river running through town. too bad she left today.
the rest of the days were spent getting the necessary appliances and essentials. shopping marts are huge here. and though they say the standard of living is higher here (because things like cars and houses are cheap and everyone's able to afford them), food is really not cheap. they dun have hawker priced meals here even at hawker-looking stalls. and you buy food every day. so maybe it might balance out. the money saved on buying a car and a house goes to spending on food. haha.
oh and you guys are going to be surprised but i never even missed a single wk of church. i went to citylife today - a church which is a 30 min ride from the uni. its a really big church (and big churches always have really good worship and sermons) but i think i really miss the whole small church feel, which is much more intimate and caring. trying out its sat youth service next wk, but looking for another church thats closer and probably smaller too.
i officially moved into my hostel today anw. the seniors were blasting music in the front yard to welcome the newcomers and its funny how things unfold but the song i heard while i was walking in was 'dreams' and when i'd settled everything and was walking out back to the carpark for dinner, 'goodbye my lover' was playing. 2 songs, dedicated to me by 2 different ppl when i departed for melbourne. its as if god just had to remind me painfully about the ppl back in singapore.
which reminds me. i finally read all the letters. AND shed some more tears (the last, i promise). i still have yilin's march, april, may and june one's tho. that silly gal actually made me a series of letters ps. i love you style. (eh btw yilin, if you're reading this, how come its only until june?! i'm coming back in dec leh. OH.. issit cos u're coming over to visit in june and will pass me the rest then? haha! k thanks in advance then! ;p) and thanks so much you peeps. i must point out that when i'm sad and feel lonely, thinking about how much you guys care for me back in singapore does NOT and will NOT make me feel better tho!! i dunno why but it REALLY doesnt. NOT thinking helps more, as hard-hearted as it may seem. but dun worry, i'll torture myself and think of you guys lots lots. haha i'm masochistic afterall, rmb?
anw i had hall games in the evening, in which i made a few friends and had a few real laughs. havent really singled out someone i really like and can talk to tho. those i initiated conversations with are too quiet, the rest (and by that i mean mainly aussies) are toooo noisy. takes time to sieve out good friends i guess.
i'm going to have my 1st night in the hostel. i just pray that i can sleep. the showers been bad. i still dun feel clean after coming out of it. my rooms quite alright jus tt it has a musty smell and is pretty small. but i guess my survival instinct will start emerging once i'm stripped down to the bare necessities. nights.
i fluttered by;
8:45 PM
17.2.06
leaving...on a jetplane.
she wun cry, she's strong. she wun cry, she's strong.
the words playing in my head helped, even if it were not true. cos the truth was, i did not want to cry. nonetheless, when all were out of sight, tears did fall. they were merely waiting for my own back to be turned, merely holding out for a brave front.
i was extremely grateful for that whispered prayer while we hugged, and for your courage to step out. your crisp letter was still in my hand. and on board the plane, i braced myself to read it. you write beautifully, you really do. i never knew that. and while each sentence struck me with alarming truth and the paragraphs mounted in sentiments, i could only sob in reply. this was too much, and i had no capacity for any other letter. it is done. i engrossed myself in movies, i must admit. but along the rest of the flight and as well as after touchdown i did try to open and read a few other letters. but pardon me if i say i havent read all of them. every new letter just overwhelms me and i realised i could only take one at a time. i think it would do me no good to torture myself further anw. slowly does it. well anw i cant really say i'm homesick yet cos i've been getting REALLY good chinese food, been sleeping at the hotel suite with my parents instead of my dorm, been around singaporeans (lots of them, dad's contacts), and of course still have my parents with me.
anw, i'm typing all this on borrowed time. getting free internet access at the business centre in the hotel cos i flirted with the concierge guy gary! haha. as if. when will my powress ever work.
and ps. i'll blog bout my positive experiences in melb next time. i've been having quite some fun meeting new ppl here actually. so resolution: not to dwell on depressing stuff from the next post onward. remind me if i do.
my last words, i miss all of you alot alot.
ok thats it. enough.
i fluttered by;
8:45 PM
7.2.06
a random fact.
my fortune cookie reads 'one who admires you greatly is hidden before your very eyes'. hmmm. in addition, my lucky number is supposedly 5556. too bad i dun do 4d.
i fluttered by;
10:26 PM
watched i not stupid too with my family. oh gosh the shows so touching and the issues raised are so close to our hearts that they just moved us to tears. yeps, us.. including my bro and dad. bro's red eyes were testamount to his tearing during the movie, no doubt. i probably teared intermitently throughout the entire show. now that DOES reflects how good the show was, as well as erm..my current emotion state. anw i shant go into detail about the show, to tread on the safer side of those who havent watched the movie, but definitely, jack neo's production does represent the singaporean voice.
why is it that when we're young and want our parents attention they just dont have the time, yet when we're all grown up and want our own space they just seem to keep wanting to be involved in all our affairs?
when a child's all grown and too far away, its too late already.
which is the cause, which the effect? are rejects deemed such because they are the outcast of society, or are they a product of society's outcast?
dont throw away the whole apple just because a portion of it is bad.
maybe i'll get the vcd when it comes out.
met my smu og mates after that. 5 ppl turned up and at 1st i was disappointed but upon hearing that most other ogs were dead, i'm quite thankful that we're still quite close. all the more since i'm not even in smu now! anw we had a really rowdy night (esp in shang's car), what with ppl shooting each other everywhere. all in good humour of course. and some missed, unfortunately, what with ppl catching no ball. but dod u're really good sometimes man, i personally think u've had too much practice. haha. anw i really thank you all for the fun time last night! yes you phebs, boon, dod, john and shang! you guys are great and i hope we'll stay in touch..erms probably meet up one yr later or smth. but if u're popping to the land down under anytime, u can jus give me a ring!
peeeektures!
<>
[above] squeeze john, squeeze!!
[above] well the picture speaks for itself..
jus got back from a family farewell gathering for my aunt who's migrating to uk to remarry. my closest cousin's going there to further her studies too. i'm so gonna miss her. well at least i'm gg overseas too so when we both come back to singapore it'll be just like going back to old times. haha. anw my aunts and uncles gave me a 2nd round of ang pows, for a 'bon voyage and new chapter of uni life' they say. really touched cos it was totally unexpected and unnecessary. not to mention the ang pows were quite huge. the huge-st i've ever gotten that is. and all i could say was 'thank you so so much'. cos dad joked about me offering free medical treatment next time, but they were all like 'choi, what a thing to say'. which is quite true. so i stuck to saying thank you :) anw now i better get my fat ass down to getting a farewell gift for my cousin.
which reminds me, i read my bro's blog a few days back. n awww this sister's heart is touched. yeah we did have great times together. even when we were name calling and playing tug of war to use the computer. if i reminisce there'll be no end to this post. so anw 'that irritating brother' probably knows it, but it doesnt hurt to mention again that, i'll miss you too. love you love you LOVE YOU. over-indulgence is good once in awhile :)
i fluttered by;
1:40 AM
2.2.06
1 Corinthians 13
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
i fluttered by;
4:28 PM