Chinese New Year Decorations

I was given a task to decorate the house for Chinese New Year. Usually the decorating job is done by my mom and I'll only help around but since my mom started working, I was asked to help to decorate the house.

This year, I get to decorate the house all by myself and according to my own liking. Yeah! My plans are actually writing calligraphy, make handicraft from old ang pow packets, hang those decorative 'stuff ' (whatever you call it) and anything that I can think of at that moment, that is Chinese New Year related.

This is the result from a one day work.


I bought this pair of Vietnamese lantern all the way from Kampar just to receive a negative comment from my mom. Sheesh.. She didn't know how much trouble I went through to get these lanterns. I bought them because I thought they were pretty and I haven't seen them in Klang. I thought it might be wonderful to have them this new year. They're unique, pretty and classy, aren't they? Thank God there's at least someone who shared the same opinion as me though. My ta sau love them ^^

'Fu'. Please ignore the person behind. She's desperate to get into the camera.

The calligraphy I wrote using marker pens. I wrote 2 Chinese characters actually- 'Fu' (fortune) and 'Lu' (prosperity). They looked somehow ugly and retarded but hey, considering the fact that I can't read or write Chinese characters, this is, I would say, a success. Way to go, Eliza! But to be truthful, I'm not really satisfy with them and maybe I'll write better ones. Of course, it all depends on my mood XD



This is my personal favourite. They're called Mystical Knots. I don't really know the meaning behind these knots but I think they're simple and nice. Mystical Knots are usually small and hand knitted but these are the larger version of those little knots. And maybe because of the size, they gave me the image of hotels. Hotels like Mandrin Oriental Hotel, to boot.

The decorative 'stuff' I was talking about.

Of course, there must be lanterns and fire crackers during Chinese New Year.

2 hanging 'fu' s above the 'fu lu shou'.

That's all I did the whole day today but there are more decoration to be done. I haven't hang up the big fire crackers, decorate the plants and make the whole house more 'red'. The next thing I might do is to change the curtains. It's Chinese New Year and the curtains are green!

A Part Of Me

My dad asked me to clean up my computer room since I've got nothing to do during my sem break and since no one is at home to do the cleaning for Chinese New Year, I might as well start a little so that it'll be easier later. So, alright!

But before anything, let me start with the history of my computer room. The computer room used to be really important to me before I left for Kampar. I do almost everything there. I eat there, sleep there, exercise there, do my homework, online, play with nieces and cousins, dance, sing, and even bathe there! (the toilet is attached to the room actually). No doubt, the computer room is a part of my life. Ask Ah Wei. Everytime when she visits me at my home, the first place she'll go is the computer room because she knows very well that I'll be there 98% of my time.

So back to the topic, I was cleaning the room just a few minutes ago. I didn't really feel anything when I was arranging and cleaning the table but I felt really nostalgic when I reach my so-called 'Anime Corner'. That's the place I placed all my anime figurines, key chains, caps, and anything anime related.

Our Gundam Army.

The first thing I clean in that corner was my Gundam Army. To be precise, it's my second bro and my Gundam Troop. All the Gundam mechas are shared among my second bro and I. They once stood proudly on the table with poise and elegance but when I clean them, I realized that they're now just some expensive plastics coated with thick dust. Some of them are even apart thanks to my cousins! As much as I love my cousin bros, I prefer them not to touch my precious mechas. Call me selfish but, yes.

Freedom, Blue Frame and Justice.

Strike Freedom and Red Frame.

Blue Frame and Freedom Neo.

The biggest and most expensive, Freedom.

The Grimlock (Transformer) both my bros bought for RM 200.

Before I left for Kampar, I didn't bother to keep them because I thought my second bro would take care of them and he did, at least they weren't apart. But now that we're away from home, no one can protect them. It really hurts to see the once strong army now scattered on the table. So, I decided to keep them safe in their respective boxes.

The Gundams, Transformer and katanas, all boxed up, safe and protected.

The next thing that I clean were the little figurines. These belong entirely to me as I bought them with my very own money. Just like the mechas, my 3 Naruto shinobi squads, 2 Bleach shinigami troops and other cosplay parts are all kept in boxes.

One set out of the few Naruto figurine sets.

Ichigo's miniature bangkai I bought in Singapore.

Me, wearing Giroro hat and Konoha headband protector with
Kenny, the one who bought me the Naruto snowcap.

My first bro's 'spiderman' figurines (and Homer Simpsons not included).
My little Bleach figurines in the background (above the Spideys' head).

Let's see what I have and how much I spent on them:

~ Gundam (minimun of RM1000, no joke.)
~ Naruto figurines (approximately RM 250)
~ Bleach figurines (approximately RM 150 excluding the Kurosaki Ichigo figurine my first bro bought for my second bro and I on his first pay day)
~ Naruto keychains, hp hanger, coin boxes, headband protector, glove, kunai, shuriken, wrist band etc. (approximately RM 200 excluding the snow cap Kenny Ho bought as my 2006 x'mas present and the poker deck I got from my classmates as my 2006 b'day present)
~ Ichigo's bangkai (approximately $10, yes, Singapore Dollar)
~ Giroro hat (RM25)
~ Slam Dunk deck (RM 5. I convinced my cousin bro to sell me that deck and heck, it wasn't easy)
~ Hitsugaya's 10th squad badge and collar pin (RM 20, if I'm not wrong)
~ Konoha scroll (RM 29.90 or RM 39.90)
~ 2 katana sets (RM 60++)

That's all I can think of but I'm sure there are more. My brain is just too lazy to function right now.

The other figurines, cosplay parts and misc.

I was so very sad to see my Anime Corner destroyed and to be truthful, I was teary when I was cleaning and keeping my Gundams. And Avril's 'When You're Gone' didn't help. In stead, it added emotions to my actions. @#$%^&*!

Now that my precious anime goodies are safe in the boxes, I have no worries that any 'enemies' will 'destroy' them. Don't worry my precious mechas and figurines, you'll be free from that six-sided cardboard before you know it. My parents always tell me it's a waste of money to buy those useless stuff but I never agree with them. They're not useless and it's certainly not a waste of money, though they're a little costly. They were once my treasures, they still are and will always be.

End of Finals, End of Second Sem

I've been waiting for this day to come! It's the end if my sem 2 finals! Wooot~! Before anything, allow me to comment a little on my finals. Compared to last sem where I had a week of study week and 2 weeks of exam which means abundant time to revise, and this sem with a week of study week and only one week of exam, it's obvious I prefer last sem. This sem, since exam is only one week long, I have a paper everyday!

First paper, Writing for Science - Well, I think I did pretty well for this paper, especially the essay part in which I think including Science facts will help me in getting marks ^^=v

Second paper, Programming and Problem Solving - It's a little tricky or I would say involve some thinking but overall, I guess it's ok :)

Third paper, Biology II - I was very thankful when I sat for this paper. When I did the pass year questions, I thought I would actually fail the subject I major in. So, I guess it's ok too.

Fourth paper, Public Speaking and Communication - This paper was initially the third paper but was postponed to due to Thaipusam. To the truthful, this paper was pretty easy. Maybe due to the tips given. Hehe..

Fifth paper, Chemistry II - When I sat for this paper, I thought I was in Hell! This paper was nothing similar to the past year I did. Different format, different question style. Of course, there were one or two that I knew but I guess to be able to score even just an A- for this paper, the probability is only about, maybe 0.1

Final paper, Mathematic II - Once again, I experience Hell! Only thing is that maybe this part of Hell is 10 feet deeper. I knew I'm always weak in dealing with numbers but this paper made me feel I'm way to weak. Never in my life I left so many blank pages! And to think that I was supposed to be happy after my final paper... T_T


Anyway, since it's the begining of my second sem break, there are several plans. Let's see if all these plans can be successfully carried out by the end of the sem.

Kenji and me.

1. Chinese New Year clothes shopping
2. Meet up with Kenji, Leon, and my housemates at maybe Sunway Lagoon and Times Square
3. Hang out with old school mates
4. Meet up with Wei Chyi, Khai Chiah and people above for no purpose
5. Visit Taiping
6. Get my car license
7. Complete my hanging stories or start new ones
8. Go Ipoh for free karaoke session
9. Hang out with sis and Eunice if they're free

Eunice on left, sis above me and my 2 nieces.

Well, those are all I can think of now. I won't be surprise if all of the above are successfully carried out since I'll be having a month of break.

Second bro when he was in U.K.

My second bro had gone to Syria like a week ago. It'll be pretty 'empty' to celebrate Chinese New Year without him and well, since I'm pretty close to him, there's something amiss. Oh, well. Hope that he can adapt well to the cold environment there and enjoy his work there.

More Time Needed

Picture says it all.

As Requested...

I was complaining that I was bored and have got nothing to do just a moment ago. So, Ah Wei and Guat Shan asked me to blog something through out 2007. To be more precise, something on 2007 and songs. This is what I've figured out...

Rhianna ft. Jay-Z -Umbrealla
I initially dislike that song because I thought it was a little silly especially the "ella.. ella.. e- e- e-" part. My thought was Rhianna ran out of words for her lyrics that's why she repeated the last syllabus of umbrella. BUT Leon came and spoil my whole point of view on the song. He made me like that song. We were in the car when that song played in the radio. I was about to change the radio channel and muttered "Stupid song!" when he stopped me. He wanted to listen to the song and hence, we did. After that incident, I started to listen to that song but never knew that I would actually like it. But I did, in the end. In fact, I even used it in one of my presentation on 'Friendship'. The song is kind of meaningful and well, I have to admit that I liked that song.. and I still do.

"...When the sun shine, we shine together.
Told you I'll be here forever.
Say I'll always be your friend.
Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end.
Now that it's raining more than ever.
Know that we'll still have each other.
You can stand under my umbrella..."

Timbaland ft. One Republic - Apologize
Just like the song above, I dislike this song as well. Not because it was silly or what but because Leon downloaded this song on my laptop and will not go through a day without playing this song at least 10 times! Never will he once miss this song whenever he used my laptop. I mean, when you keep repeating something, you'll eventually get annoyed at it, right? Same case here. He kept playing and singing the song until every time I heard that song, I'll plug my ears. Soon, he stopped it. The problem actually arose there. Once he stopped playing the song, I thought my ears and brain would rejoice. But no. When he stopped playing the song, the song would not leave my head. It would keep playing like an automatic mp3 player in my head. Things got worse when Sito fell for the song and even blogged that song! So, no question that I'll eventually like this song. Now, this song is officially Sito's theme song.

"I love you with a fire red now it's turning blue."

Ratu - Teman Tapi Mesra
This song was from Eunice. She downloaded it long time ago but I didn't really fancy it that time. I started liking it after listening to the song for a couple of times. Guat Shan and Ah Wei even declare this song as my love life's theme song because of the chorus. Saying that since I would not have any boyfriend, I should just ask the guy to listen to this song when I want to reject him. Sweat, isn't it? =.=" Anyway, this song haunted me, Guat Shan and probably Leon during our sem1 finals. This song just won't leave our heads! And one line from this song suits exam so much- "Namun aku bingung."


Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten
Just in case this song sounds familiar to you, it is in deed, Rejoice Shampoo's advertisement song. I heard this song while shopping in Jusco with my sis and the music attracted me. So, like how I always did, I downloaded this song. I got more attracted to the song whenever the commercial came on screen and the song started playing. The best thing was, every time the song started playing on the tv, I'll mimic the hair model on tv and will always swing my head so that my hair will brush against Ah Wei XD P/S: I'm not a Rejoice user. Sunsilk, babeh! And oh, there's a part from this song that I can't sing. The bridge before the chorus because I'll run out of breath when I sing it. The evil Guat Shan and mean Ah Wei would ask me to sing and laugh at me after that like some sort of Kampar entertainment. One more thing, I got the inspiration for the name of my blog from this song.

Boys like Girls - The Great Escape
A song from the first semester itself. This was like the best song ever in sem1 and all of us was practically crazy over me. Actually it wasn't all of us. More like it was just me and I force the rest to 'like' it by playing this song pretty frequently. Blast the car stereo when it goes on the radio. Download the acoustic version. Had Boys like Girls picture as my wallpaper. Had "I'm Paul" on my screensaver. Named myself I'm Paul etc. etc. I know. I know. These are all MADNESS! But this song gave me a teenage feel. Like you don't care what tomorrow will bring you. All you care about is just today. It has got the power.

Try listening to it. Click here!

Jordin Spark - Tatoo
A song by one of the American Idol. It's a really soothing song with nice meaning. I recommended this song to Guat Shan and soon it became Guat Shan's theme song through out the whole 2007 until this year. Nothing much about this song. It's special in a way that I would not get bored listening to this song and it's not my favourite song.


Hearts of Fencing - Shining Friends
This song is so Ah Wei. It was sent to Ah Wei by her Physics lecturer, Mr. Lee and instantly, she got hooked to the song. I don't know why but maybe because of the feel of the song. This song always give me the feeling of hope. It's like when you're so down, when you fail all your papers, when your family disown you, your boyfriend dump you, when your best friend betray you, when the world turn its back on you, don't worry!!! There's still hope! SUN WILL SHINE!

Avril Lavinge - Hot
This is mine! Why? The song is powerful. It has the energy that I love. It has the fast beat and slow all in one. And the message this song carries is somewhat my opinion on an ideal relationship. I mean, I would want my relationship to be like this song.

"And I will let you do anything, again and again."
~ I wouldn't want a really tied-up relationship. No guys like to be controlled, right?

"And I can make you say anything, that you never said."
~ To me, this line shows trust, which is really important in a relationship. It gives the image that both parties have great trust on each other to the extend that they can spill everything that they never will tell to others, to each other.

"I want to stay this way forever. I'll say it loud."
~ No hesitation in a relationship. No words restriction.

And the chorus is just lovely~~~ <3



That's all the song that influenced and somehow changed me a little (I think) that I can think of. Try listening to these songs. They might be one of your favourites!

My Name

I was browsing one of my friend's page and I came across something interesting and decided to give it try. This is what my name says about me...

What Eliza Loo Po-iian Means

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are incredibly wise and perceptive. You have a lot of life experience. You are a natural peacemaker, and you are especially good at helping others get along. But keeping the peace in your own life is not easy. You see things very differently, and it's hard to get you to budge. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are influential and persuasive. You tend to have a lot of power over people. Generally, you use your powers for good. You excel at solving other people's problems. Occasionally, you do get a little selfish and persuade people to do things that are only in your interest. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

And what does Natsuko says?

What Natsuko Means

You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. You are a very lucky person. Things just always seem to go your way. And because you're so lucky, you don't really have a lot of worries. You just hope for the best in life. You're sometimes a little guilty of being greedy. Spread your luck around a little to people who need it. You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life. You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip. People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

I think these are pretty true though. What do you think?

Tagged!

I've been tagged by Eunice!! So.. what are the 5 classes that I would attend to improve my life?

1. Language Class
Yes, I've always love languages. So, if I'm given a chance, I'll no doubt, attend a language class not merely because of interest but I personally think language is very important. Maybe because I think communication is important and one word and actually influence someone and change how people look at you. Plus, since I love travelling, learning foreign languages will help a lot. And oh, don't you think it's simple awesome for you to speak some language others do not understand? I mean, not all the other don't understand. Maybe your circle of friends might understand and you can just gossip about someone else without the fear of being caught? XD


2. Beauty Class
Alright! I know this is so not me to attend but I think attending beauty classes will help in improving my life. Like maybe a class that would help me adapt to a different style. It's not like I dislike my current dressing style but it's just that people have been telling me that I should, you know, try to have a little image change. Now, now, allow me to quote.

"Eliza, why don't you wear heels? 'Cuz guys either look at the hair or the feet." ~Joe.
"Yea.. You should start practice wearing heels." ~Ah Wei.
"We go out more la.. So you got the chance to wear skirt." ~Guat Shan.
"I don't mind though.. I think it's ok for girls to make-up." ~Leon.



3. Cookery Class
I used to think cooking is something not-that-important but figured out that I was so wrong when I left home for my tertiary education. For the entire first sem, we (as in my housemates and I) fed on canned food and eggs. Though I think my cooking skills have improved a lot, I guess there're still rooms for improvement. And we all know that we require this skill in the future whether we like it or not.




4. Journalism Class
As in a class or a course that teaches one how to write better. Before I took up Biotechnology in university, journalism was in my course-to-take list. I enjoy writing and I do write. The only thing is I don't allow people to read what I wrote. They're not good enough to be considered as a reading material. So, a journalism class would really help to improve my life and I plan on being a part-time journalist someday in the future (if my writing skill ever improve).

5. Driving Class
This is absurd but yes, I seriously need to attend a driving class! I've been driving around a lot without license! How will this class help to improve my life since I already know how to drive? Well, a license will at least help me escape from polices and I won't have to pretend to look mature and sit up straight so that I'll look taller whenever there's police.



Now that you know about the 5 classes I would choose to attend to improve my life, how about you?

It's time to tag...
~ Sito
~ Debbie
~ Cwei
~ anyone who wants to do this.

Happy 2008!

So, it's a brand new year with a brand new start. But allow me to start my new year on how I spent my last day in 2007 and how I welcomed the new 2008.

My housemates and I organized a party for new year though it was initially for Christmas but due to tests and all, we postponed it to new year.

It started at about 9.30 in the morning where Guat Shan and I started making jelly for the drink. We had an hour class in the morning and 4 hours break after that. So, we came home and made the jelly and went back to class after that. We came home at 6 in the evening and saw the development of the party.

Imagine how much jelly needed for this.

Bernard was busy cooking though it was supposed to be Kenny's job but he went to play football. But nevermind! No use getting all perked up on New Year. So, anyway, Kenji came not long after that to help to cook as well. Thus, we have 2 in house chef that day!

Our 2 lovely chefs, one in yellow, the other in white.

Guat Shan, Ken, Joe and I, on the other hand were busy preparing the drink. We planned 'oi yuk ping' as drink since well, I made that before during my godfather's birthday so Guat Shan put the responsibility on me to prepare the drink. The drink didn't turned out to be as colourful as it was supposed to be since we haven't got enough of colouring supply. But it was ok, I guess.

The 'oi'yuk ping' team members.

Outside the house, another team was responsible for setting up the fire. There were altogether 4 BBQ spots to prevent crowdedness. It was difficult to set the fire up but thanks to the experienced Guat Shan, we somehow managed to handle it.

Setting up the fire was 'woah!'

At about 7.30 in the evening, people started coming and the party soon begun. There were approximately 40 people attended the party. As usual, there were food, drinks and people but Leon felt something was amiss. He went to Wei Chyi's place and got his speakers. So, now, there were food, drinks, people and MUSIC!

Some prefer BBQ food.

Some prefer home made dishes.

Like always, there MUST be cho tai tee.

They took it to the road!

40 people can't fit in..

We had a countdown to bid goodbye to 2007 and welcome 2008 and the countdown was accompanied with champagne.

"YAM SENG!!!!!"

Lastly, very much credit to those who have helped around, making the party a success. Thanks a million for your help.

Ken.

Joe.

Leo.

Bernard.

Kenji.

Ah Wei.

Sito.

Guat Shan.

Happy New Year!