:)

This post is dedicated to my dearest, most amazing friends.

These young, vibrant souls who, over the years, have somehow managed to get through all the emotional chaos, the countless nagging, the constant exaggeration, and the immature, borderline-psychotic taunts and demands of this good-for-nothing, self-centered son of a bitch. Somehow.

Words can't explain just how immensely grateful I am to have been considered a part of your lives all these years.

You guys have truly made my 21st Birthday even more special. More than you'll ever know.

Here's to you. And to our lasting friendships.

And of course, following the age-old tradition, to a great and rewarding year ahead!

Hopefully.

"Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time."

- Jean Paul Richter

"From our birthday, until we die

Is but the winking of an eye."

- William Butler Yeats

The old believe in anything; the middle-aged suspect everything; the young question everything."

- Oscar Wilde

<3

...Thank you! :)

...how did i get here? what did i do?...

Currently listening to: Pretend - Secondhand Serenade

.underneaththegraysky.

Captain Cook Cruise, Sydney Harbour, Dec 2009

I sometimes wonder how things would've turned out to be like if the Universe had decided to screw with the sunny tropics and conveniently assigned yours truly to be born somewhere along the chilly coasts of England.

I for one would've loved the sexy British accent in my speech. And the perpetual cold. And of course, the highly-viable chance of getting ash blonde hair instead of black. Even if I had turned out to be Asian in this hypothetical state of existence - maybe good ol' Mother Nature had thought I would've still been better off with slanty eyes and slightly darker skin - I would've still gotten two out of three! And that's fine by me. *snickers*

Being British would've been AWESOME, with caps. I would've been more poised and mannered in my gestures. I could've made a habit out of jogging around Hyde Park every morning. I could've developed more fondness towards scones. I could've grown addicted to tea, not coffee. I could've auditioned for the role of one of Draco Malfoy's good-for-nothing cronies in the Harry Potter movies just for the thrill of doing so. I could've even spent all my spare time stalking the Royals!

And don't even get me started on the weather. Or the bloody strong British Pound. Or on how irresistible and excessively good looking Europeans are in general, blue eyes and all. *sighs*

Life would've been all rainbows and butterflies then, albeit slightly psychotic. I could've been a terrific British bloke, hey! :)

Damn, does that sound good or what? I would be willing to kill - oh yes I would, just you watch - to be able to enjoy every second of this parallel existence.

Well, except that it doesn't actually exist so I can't exactly do anything about it now, can I?

...Yeah. I know.

This is what blogging in the heat looks like, folks.

Maybe this isnt' such a good idea after all.

*fans self furiously*

Speaking of heat, it's freaking FORTY THREE DEGREES right now, and if the constant sweating and the occasional throb at the back of the head are any indication, I think it's safe to say that my system is NOT handling this blistering hot weather very well. No, not too well indeed.

Fortunately, this dazzling epitome of total awesomeness right here *wink wink* remembered to make a quick run to the grocery store yesterday in search of the world's best thirst-quencher, namely Lipton's Lemon Ice Tea, amongst other things. You know, just in case the heat gets too unbearable and I'm forced to get holed up inside the cool confines of my air-conditioned crib so as to avoid getting fried. *grins*

One big fat bottle now sits quietly inside my fridge, waiting to be ruthlessly ravished. Wrong choice. Should've gotten more. Battling the heat is proving to be quite a feat and I need to be better-armed.

I know that probably more than half of Melbourne's population has already flocked to the nearest beach in response to the heat and is now merrily working on destroying their measly skin cells with the help of the sun and a splatter or two of their trusted SPF-laden tanning lotion of choice. I for one is still yet to discover the fun in rolling around in the sand getting baked while wearing nothing except a pair of extra-strength sunnies and the occasional barely-there thong. So, no, I'll stay well out of the sun's glare for now, thank you very much.

Yeah. As if the awkward tan lines I have on my arms aren't hideous enough already. Besides, if my skin gets any darker then it already is now, chances are even my own family members will start having doubts about the authenticity of my Chinese heritage next time they cross paths with me.

*turns up aircon even higher*

Summer, I hereby welcome you.

Please be nice and don't burn any more trees this year. We've had enough of those catastrophic bushfires last time you came around. :(

Ah well. I better get back to sucking on ice cubes and whatnot. There's only so much heat one can handle at a time.

'Till next time, peeps.

P.S: If what I've been reading is correct, I think Britain's got a bit of a weather issue right now as well. While people in Australia are getting too much sun and therefore slowly heading to skin cancer paradise, all the lucky Brits up there are buried waist-deep in snow as we speak. Talk about irony. We could use some snow down here too, Mother Nature! *sighs*

...although it's been said, many times, many ways...

.feliznavidad.

Collins Street City Square, Melbourne, December 17, 2009

...Merry Christmas, to you. :)

...hang a shining star upon the highest bow...

For the sake of updating the nonexistent: my super-awesome parents are coming down for Christmas and, of course, my graduation ceremony.

Being the highly-experienced urban travelers that they are, I'm fully aware that they are used to spending Christmas in cold, snow-covered, more-festive places. Think the Swiss Alps, or Western Europe, or the American East Coast. But this visit will mark their very first take on spending Christmas below the Equator.

I'm genuinely curious to see what Mr. and Mrs. Oey will make out of a sunny, outdoorsy, summer-y Christmas down under. *grins*

Other than the usual plan of exploring Melbourne to its very core, we also have Brisbane (otherwise known to the locals as Brisvegas), the always-compulsory Gold Coast, Tangalooma Resort, and Sydney under our messy traveling belts. Ten days of sunshine, hopefully *crosses fingers*, and ten days of total family awesomeness.

I promise I will make time to post another update before Christmas.
In the mean time, I will retreat under my snuggly blankets and bid you adieu. My parents will arrive at Tullamarine first thing in the morning tomorrow, and I have to be there by around 11am to greet them. *winks*

Have a nice start to your Christmas holidays, guys!
Put your best tank-tops on. Wear your most awesome sunnies. And cover yourselves up with sunblock because the UV rays are nasty! Then have a cold beer. Or two. Or three. Or as many as you want, actually, but please try not to get too drunk! Everything is more fun when your head's actually there and not all fuzzy. :)

So, yes, that's about it for now.
Merry Christmas, everybody. :)

xoxo

...how many promises and fake apologies?...

Currently listening to: Hear No, See No, Speak No - Ricki-Lee Coulter

.yousayi'mcrazy.
The Circus Starring: Britney Spears, 1st Melbourne Show
Rod Laver Arena, Nov 11, 2009

I find it really heartwarming when my favorite barista *wink wink* - having already been on a first-name basis with yours truly - yells out my name and lightens up whenever I merrily hop my way to that familiar chocolate-brown counter, with my best cheeky grin plastered on my face and my worn-out loyalty card at the ready.

Bonus points for already hitting the cash register and cheerfully calling out the exact price of my favorite drink before I stop prancing and finally arrive.
Bullseye. *grins*

Ah, the things you find when you get out of the house.
Turns out my seemingly foolish decision to brave the crazy winds and drag my lazy ass all the way to this cozy spot is not so stupid after all now that I think about it.

So here I am, conveniently perched on a chair next to the giant glass windows overlooking Chadstone's new shopping precinct, absently typing away. I have my regular-sized skinny Irish nut creme with me, brewed to perfection by the coffee-making prodigy in question *cough cough*. The sun's still up, the cafe's rather quiet given it's Thursday night, and Christmas songs are playing softly on the PA.

Can you say happiness? :)

Damn. It surely feels good to have nothing to do.
No due dates, no morning classes, no irrational deadlines to look out for (although the latter is subject to change in a few days' time) whatsoever. Lately my existence revolves around making use of my excess spare time and dealing with irrational thoughts, more or less. Think late-night phonecalls, endless Youtube sessions, and multiple cups of jasmine tea. I even took the initiative to clean up my room again!

*bows to imaginary clapping sounds*

Ironically, though, I have also been missing a LOT of gym sessions, hence my current wimp-like performance at the gym, in a non-sexy kind of way of course. Let's just say the treadmill hasn't been too kind on Mr. Couch Potato right here lately. I don't know where all the motivation has disappeared to; maybe I'm just being plain lazy, like always. I promise this will change.

I have since resorted to watching a lot of online videos everytime pangs of boredom strikes. I know things are getting bad now that I'm starting to get all impatient and borderline obsessive about communitychannel's video announcements on Twitter, but I can't help it. To spice things up a little, as of now I also have discovered a newfound attraction towards Singaporean online shows on clicknetwork.tv. "Chick VS Dick" never fails to amuse me, and I think Rosalyn Lee a.k.a Rozz is Singapore's hottest TV personality right now!

*sighs*

See?
Proof positive I should seriously start looking for something better to do before I drive myself up the wall.

But first things first. Semester 2 results will be out tonight, and I'm crossing my fingers big time. If I pass all four units, I'll be able graduate at the end of this year. December 17, to be exact, about two weeks away from now. If not... Well, we'll worry about that later. *shivers at the thought*

As much as I hate the idea of having to man up and face the real world now that my endless years of education is finally coming to an end, I actually think that graduating will still be fun and liberating nonetheless. And I sure as hell do hope I'll end this with a BANG. I wanna do me - and my parents, too - proud.

We'll talk more about this later. Let me get queasy and fidget with my hands first. A couple of hours to go, now. Won't be long.
*tugs at hair*

My coffee's getting cold. And is that the rain I hear rattling softly on the ceilings?
Alright. I better sign off now. Will let you guys know once the results are published.

Oh, Christmas is almost here, by the way. *winks*

Lates!


UPDATE:

I PASSED ALL FOUR UNITS!!! :)
I'm officially a Bachelor of Commerce graduate! Well, minus the hat and the funny-looking robe, though. That one's for December 17. *winks*

.retrospect.

kuhirup manis aroma udara kota ini,
satu pagi,
tak pernah sepi

dalam riuh bisingnya sang metropolis awali hari,
memulai lagi,
kuhilanglenyap tenggelam dalam bergulungguruh arusnya

kudengar jeritmu di setiap bunyi klakson,
kerlipmu di tiap kedip lampu lalu lintas,
lagumu seiring petikan gitar sang pemusik jalanan

kurasa haru dalam keruhkelabunya langitmu,
deras rinai hujanmu,
juga mendungnya cakrawala,
sumpekruwet jalanjalan raya yang ribut meraung di luar sana

setiap detik kupuja hadirmu,
setiap detakmu selaras deru jantungku,

dan bersama secangkir kopi hangat,
sebatang pensil,
selembar kertas lusuh,
dan setahun penuh seruan rindu,


kunafaskan adamu,

jakartaku.





-- Dunkin Donuts Mal Ciputra Jakarta, 8 Januari 2009