:: Single/ In a Relationship/ Married ::

How do we define whether we are single, in a relationship or married?

Single
Is it a gal/guy is not attached to anyone but there are people going after them. They are free to date anyone and yet tell people "I'm single and available"?
Worse, if they are married and tell people "I'm married but available"
Or is it they have a girlfriend/boyfriend yet telling people "We are just friend"?

In a relationship
A gal/guy is only going after someone but says that they are in a relationship?
A couple who are truly in love with each other and ready to step into the next stage of their life (Get married)?

Married
Do you say you are married just because both of you are so in love with each other even though you have been together for only like 2 months (I think that's honeymoon stage)?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maybe it doesn't serve any purpose for this entry... But who cares... I just want to write...
PS: Sometimes I wish I'm single...

:: Reflection ::

Look at me
You may think that you see who I really am
But you'll never know me
Everyday, it's as if I play a part
Now I see, if I wear a mask I can fool the world
But I cannot fool my heart

Who is that girl I see, staring straight back at me?
When will my reflection show who I am inside?

I am now in a world where
I have to hide my heart and what I believe in
But somehow I will show the world
What's inside my heart and be loved for who I am

Who is the girl I see, staring straight back at me?
Why is my reflection someone I don't know?
Must I pretend that I'm someone else for all time?
When will my reflection show, who I am inside?

There's a heart that must be free to fly
That burns with the need to know the reason why
Why must we all conceal what we think, how we feel?
Must there be a secret me I'm forced to hide?
I won't pretend that I'm someone else for all time

When will my reflection show who I am inside?
When will my reflection show who I am inside?

:: Decoding a message ::

Yesterday was Marketing Communication lesson. As usual, class was packed with students. Lecturer taught us The Communication Process.
It was all about sender (advertiser) have a message, need to encode (into advertisement), need to have the message transmit through some channel (media i.e TV, radio, newspaper), then decode the message (into plain text), transmitted to receiver (targeted audience).

But you see, different people have different perspective, viewpoints when decoding a message. The lecturer cite a very interesting example that leads me to think of something that had ever took place. Here goes the example:

2 cars travelling side by side. One of the driver shouted to the other, "PIG!!!". Upon hearing that, the driver got so infuriated that she shouted back, "BITCH!!!". Not long after, the driver who shouted 'BITCH' ran over a pig. Not only did she killed the poor pig, she was injured and landed in the hospital. The driver who shouted "PIG" was trying to tell the other driver there is a pig in front but that driver misunderstood her intention and thought she was hurling abusive words at her.

This is an example of miscoding a person message. How many times did misunderstand another person because of the words used in a message?

I will remember this lesson and learn to listen with a open heart, that way, we will not have unnecessary misunderstandings...

:: What a Class ::

Yesterday was the first lesson for Advertising 211. It was a pretty small class (only about 30+ students). Lecturer was a pretty 'cool and funky' lady... With her hair cropped so short, it is not difficult to guess she must be in the design, advertising industry (She juz seems to have the 'artistic' air around her, alright)
My new classmates pretty much keep to themselves. Either loner or keep to their own clique of 2. (Or maybe they are juz shy to approach others?) Each of them have their own style... At that point of time, I think a design school will be a much better choice for them... (Very individualistic people who doesn't care a hoot about what others think of their fashion sense). One-third of them are Chinese Nationals (Gosh! Why are they in this class??) Well... can't complain, they pay school fees too...

Anyway, this class is so quiet, unlike of an Advertising class... (I think, if I'm the lecturer, I feel so pissed. No participation from the class at all)...

Got to know a lady and a guy. Supposed to be my new group mates, but didn't even introduce each other or exchange phone numbers. That leaves me wondering if we will still be doing the project together or not. Heard the lecturer saying she doesn't restrict how many in a group. However, if it is just 2 person in a group, it may be a bit taxing and intense as we need to find a branded product, find 3 different advertisements of that product, use 'reverse engineer' to analyse the advertisement, re-create an advertisement and sell our idea to the company. Sounds easy but when it come to doing it, I bet it is not easy.

Guess, I've got to take each step at a time, see if things will turn out better next week. If not, I will be a walking zombie soon...

:: Spotted Hyena - Crocuta crocuta ::

Classification & Range

Spotted hyenas are the largest member of the family Hyaenidae. This family also includes three other hyena species, the aardwolf (found in south, east and northeast Africa); the striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena), found in northern Africa, southwest Asia and India; and the brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea), which is found in limited areas of southern Africa, except most of South Africa. Spotted hyenas range throughout most of Africa south of the Sahara, except for the rain forests and most of South Africa. They once lived in South Africa but were eliminated in much of that region. Hyena populations have also been severely reduced in some savanna plains areas.

Physical Description

Male weight is 123-138 lb, height 32-34 inches; female weight is 147-165 lb, height 34-35 inches. They have a sturdy build, long neck, high shoulders, and long muscular legs, with the forelegs longer than hind legs and four toes on each foot with non-retractile claws. The head is massive with rounded ears and robust teeth adapted for chewing bones. The coat is rough, comparatively short, and ranges in color from reddish-brown to tan, growing lighter and less spotted with age. Spots are black and rounded. Tail tip, muzzle and lower parts of limbs are dark brown. A slight mane may be present on neck and shoulder.

Diet and Hunting Behavior

Hyenas hunt alone or in packs led by their female leader, and kill by tearing their prey apart. Typical prey species are herbivorous mammals, and include gazelle, water buffalo, zebra, warthog, and young giraffe, rhinoceros, and hippopotamus. However, they have been observed feeding on a wide variety of prey, including mammals, birds, fish and reptiles. Spotted hyenas have been known to kill and scavenge off of domestic livestock, such as cattle, sheep, goats, poultry, horses, donkeys, camels and even cats and dogs. They can and do feed on carrion, as most predatory species do, but it only makes up less than 5% of their total diet.

Hunting is usually at night, but they sometimes hunt during the day. They tend to hunt alone or in small groups of 2-5 individuals. They detect their prey using sight, hearing and smell. Hyenas will travel extinsively throughout their territory in search of prey. Some hyenas have been known to travel for 42-80 km in search of adequate prey sources. Once prey is found, the group will travel up to 2-3 km in active pursuit of prey, and can run at speeds of up to 60 km/hr. The group will often run through a herd of ungulates to single out an individual. Though they will usually catch diseased, weak, very young or very old individuals, healthy prey items are often taken. They kill their prey by severing the major arteries and veins in the neck and by disemboweling. Usually after a kill, the females will disperse with pieces of the kill and eat at a distance. Males and females may will fight over food, but the female usually is the winner because of her massive size. One hyena can eat 14.5 kg per meal. Hyenas have been known to cache food underwater.

Relationship with other Predators

Hyenas will often steal kills from the smaller felids, such as cheetahs and leopards. They will watch a cheetah make a kill, then chase the exhausted cat away from its kill, since the cheetah is not strong enough to fight off the larger hyena, nor able to sustain severe injuries, since any injuries to the cheetah will impair its ability to hunt. A pack of hyenas will actually harass a leopard out of its meal, following the leopard until it climbs up into a tree and harass it from the ground, waiting for it to drop its kill to them below. They will sometimes catch the leopard with its kill before it has a chance to escape, and since a single leopard cannot fend off a pack of hyenas, it abandons its kill. Silver backed jackals pose no threat to the larger hyenas, who see them as more of a nuisance than an actual competitor. The more agile jackals will dart in and out of a kill that hyenas are feeding off of, and may even be so bold as to join them while they are eating. African wild dogs also compete with hyenas over food, and often steal the wild dog's kills. However, since African wild dogs travel in such large numbers, they can intimidate a hyena and have a better chance of protecting their kills. Wild dogs have been seen often stealing kills from hyenas just as often. Since the other predators in Africa, such as the serval, caracal, and other small wildcats, usually feed on small prey like rodents and birds, they are not in direct competition with the hyena, and thus have little to worry about.

The most dramatic relationship, however, is between hyenas and Africa's largest predator, the African lion. There seems to be a constant war between these two gregarious species, and it is not always over food, either. Normally, boundaries of another species are disregarded, but not in the case of the hyena and lion. They will put up boundaries against each other as they would against members of their same species, and threaten each other at the borders with snarls, roars, urine, and paste. If one should happen to wander into the other's territory, it will be mauled by a gang from the other species. A pack of hyenas can easily kill a lioness, and are enough to intimidate an entire pride. Hyenas will kill lion cubs, and lions will kill both adult and juvenile hyenas. Lions will steal hyenas' kills just as many times as hyenas steal kills from lions. Sometimes, a neighboring clan and pride will wage a war with each other, usually in the dry season during a severe famine or drought, when resources are low. One will start, and invade the other's territory, and intimidate the other into leaving the area. Often, prides with more than one male are at the advantage, and are less the target of hyenas as would be prides with one or no males, since male lions are the only thing that truly intimidate a hyena. The lion is the only natural predator of the hyena.

Fascinating Facts

- Determining the sex of males and females is difficult, because their reproductive organs appear similar!
- Hyenas were not scientifically studied in their natural habitat until the 1960s!
- The spotted hyena is a very noisy animal. A spotted hyena will make a giggling noise including a long, manic whoop best transcribed as "oooooh-WHUP!." None of these sounds indicate humor as humans know it.

In case you are interested in seeing one with your own eyes, most zoos don't care to display hyenas, because there still isn't much public demand. People still think of hyenas as cowardly, ugly scavengers.

Here's a picture of a spotted Hyena.

Here's [a poor-quality AU file] of their cries.

I am no big lover of Hyenas but I have this sudden interest in them after a friend of mine told me about this animal that will make a giggling noise including a long, manic whoop best transcribed as "oooooh-WHUP!." This is their way of expressing their intense fear or excitement.

:: Dreaming again ::

At work now... Boring... How I wish I can juz stay at home and sleep... Why can't the company declare today as a holiday since we will be having our national day celebration tomorrow??

Hmm... Never mind, in another 6 hours and I'm outta the office... Yipee...
Will be meeting Dar, June june and Clarence for a movie... We are going to watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory... So excited... Heehee... I hope it will be nice... I like to fantasize myself in a world of chocolates... Be flooded by them...

Tomorrow will be rest day at home... Thinking of cooking pasta for Dar... Heehee... Will take photos and post it here... Wait for my pasta wor....

:: How I wish it's a Long weekend ::

Disappeared for almost a week... Well, everyday is the same... Work, home, work, home...

Hmmm... weekend passed juz like tat (again...) Well, wat have I done fot the weekend...

Saturday
It was a super sunny Saturday... Meeting Clarice and Steven with Dar to shop for Jeff's "13th Birthday" present... (heehee) We were supposed to meet ard 3, me and dar took bus 64, OMG! it was such a long journey... The whole journey took us almost 1 and a half hour (faint)... I was late for almost an hour... Anyway, didn't shop at Queenstown Shopping Center at all cos Clarice oredi walk the whole place without finding a suitable present... (I was disappointed, wanted to walk around and find dar's backpack but too bad.... Nmind, he did buy one when we are at Shaw Tower)...

Went down to Takashimaya to hunt for Jeff's present... Still didn't get anything... But I saw so many things that I want to buy... I fancy a Le Coq Sportif sneakers... I want to buy... An Adidas sneakers...A Puma jacket... and lotsa lotsa more... Okie okie... stop day-dreaming...


Met Jeff at Shaw Tower at ard 7... Walk to the opposite to have MaLa steamboat... My goodness! It's so crowded.. Couldn't get a table... waited for ard 1 hour then we got ourselves a table... While waiting, we witness an accident... A SMRT taxi suddenly change lane causing a motorist and his pillion to crash... The young couple was flown off their motorcycle and landed on the next lane... Luckily no cars came along... If not, I can't imagine the consequences... The guy seems to be in pain but still able to walk... Shortly after, the ambulance and traffic police came along and settle it... Carry on with our dinner... Was so full from the steamboat, but it was yummy...

Wanted to catch a movie but couldn't make up our mind... In the end, we ended up at Breko's again... Talk nonsense for the next 3 hours and it's home sweet home...

Sunday
Wake up pretty early for a Sunday, 9am... Cos Dar is meeting his classmate, Alan, for project meeting... Laze around, read newspaper then get myself prepare for lunch... We are going to Pan Pacific for lunch... It's third uncle's birthday so all of us meet up for lunch... Went to Pan Pacific for lunch before, this time they change their menu... I still prefer their old menu... It was a long lunch... We start from 12 and finish onli at around 3 plus... Meet Dar at Far East Plaza for some shopping... Bought a top... so happy... (heehee) Walk aimlessly for the next few hours... So crowded in Orchard... Anyway, after a drink we went home cos I got to work the next day! (Sianz... Dar is not working on Monday... How I wish my company will give us off too...)

:: School reopen ::

Yoohoo... School reopen yesterday... Was feeling excited yet nervous... Dunno izzit becos I'm not in the same class as Jeff and Steven anymore, that's why feeling a bit lost... Never mind, I've still got Clarice... *heehee*. Reached school very early... But Clarice was late... Never mind, we quickly grab a bite from 7-Eleven. Met up with Kaiyin, Clarice's friend, also our new classmates but she's in the accounting class whereas we are in the Media Planning class...

My god! Saw an empty vessel coming my way... Pretending to be happy but god knows how hard her heart cries... *Boohoo* Wearing pink... Looks grotesque... *hahaha* Anyway, lecture was quite ok, lecture talk as if he's rushing for train... *hahaha*

Did some tutorial in class... Discuss about forming groups for our coming projects... We need to form a group of 4-6. Well, now that we are without Jeff, got to know new friends... Manage to form up a group of 6 with another 3 gals and a guy (Michelle, Doreen, Sharon and Ian) *Hope everything goes well*

That's all for the day... It will another hectic and tiring semester, I supposed...

:: Karaoke ::

Feeling so much better now though I still have the rashes on my body... Wake up to Mac Donald's breakfast... Clarence bought them... They have photo shooting this morning... Shortly after Clarence came over, Agnes and her bf came as well... My god! Haven't seen such a snobbish person for very long time (refering to Agnes's bf).. Please... come to pple house have some basic manners lah... So snobbish for wat, wun get you far... Haiz...

Anyway, I do my own stuff... Dun wanna be bothered about them... Dar came shortly after lunch... Wait for sis to come back... Go karaoke together... Last minute she says want to buy card reader... Ask us to go first... We went singing... Sing for 2 hrs oredi, then Clarence and sis turn up... *no more voice oredi, hahaha* Anyway still sing... Went for porridge dinner... *yummy yummy* If not for my rashes that I have to abstain from having seafood and all sorts of nuts, we would have gone to have Dim Sum... *I miss my Har Kow*

:: Allergy ::

My god! It's confirm allergy... I had rashes on my back, both my thighs and collar bones... Make me feel so itchy... It looks gross too...I think it could be due to the pizza with different kind of cheeses... I usually do not have problem with the common cheese... So muz be tat... *Yikesssss*
Had a jab, doc gave me some cream to apply and medicine to take...
The medicine make me feel so sleepy as it do cause drowsiness to some people...
Sleep for the whole day... No appetite... Feel lazy the whole day...

:: Friday night out ::

Met up with Jas and Nic, a girl's night out... We went to Spizza located at Club Street with recommendation from Fei. It was a cosy, chic and classy Italian restuarant that serves wood-fired pizzas. Their menu concept is very interesting, it goes according to A-Z listing of female Italian names.

We ordered "Helena" - Grilled chicken pizza with mozerella cheese, "Laura" - different kind of cheeses, Calamaris and Lasgana... They all taste so good... *Yummy Yummy*
After dinner, since none of us feel like having any alcohol,we adjourned to Coffee Bean for some drinks... Got bitten by so many mosquitoes... But actually they are not mosquitoes bites... It's food allergy... *Argh* Make me feel itchy the whole night... Muz go see doc tomorrow...

:: Romantic Night ::

Yoohoo... Only me and Manfei in the office today... Janet is happily in Perth enjoying her holiday and Coreen is down with chicken pox... *Eeekkk* I've never had chicken pox, so afraid I'll get it too... She didn't realise that she's having chicken pox and still came to the office even though it's the 3rd day... *Scared*

Well, luckily it's still not too busy and it was my first time handling WD calls *not that difficult afterall, or maybe I'm lucky to get easy call... hahahaha*

Dar called me in the morning, ask me to go for dinner this evening... *So last minute, but never mind, so many nv see him so I'm beginning to miss him too... =D*
We went to Esplanade to have Thai Express... Ordered Green curry chicken, Tom Yam Talay, Fried Kang Kong and Tofu Square... *Yummy yummy* Haven't eat so much since my gastric flu the other day... Feeling all spice up and full *hahaha*

Walk down esplanade bridge and to our romantic haunt, Cavenagh Bridge... We both like it there... Peaceful and nice nightview of the skyscrapers...
Soon we head back home cos I've got to work from 7am to 6pm tomorrow *Urghh*

:: Weekend ::

Yoohoo... So fast, 2 days of weekend juz ended like this...
Hmm... What did I do for the 2 days?? Let me recall...

Saturday
Wake up early cos dun feel like sleeping... Watch TV... read newspaper... slack around... Then dar dar turn up at my place with lunch... *heehee* Dar bought fried noodles and fried carrot cake... Too oily... Ate abit onli... Then my dar has class on Sat afternoon... So after lunch he went on to school while me continue to slack at home... Soon it's time for me to get ready and meet Dar for dinner... We met at Bugis and went for You Kee Duck rice opposite Bugis... I had kway chap... Eat abit, dun feel like eating again... And guess what, I saw Freddy's brother, Kenny's ex girlfriend... As usual, I pretend I don't know her... *act dao... hahaha*
After dinner, went to meet Clarice, Jeff and Steven at Breko for a drink... Happily chatting away till we lost track of the time... Late oredi wor... so go home and sleep... My poor dar still have classes early next morning...

Sunday
Hmmm... Feeling awful for the whole day after eating a packet of vegetarian bee hoon. That packet of vegetarian bee hoon makes me puke twice and lost all appetite...*yucks* (Guess I'll stay away from it for a long long time...) Though I wasn't feeling very well, I still make the effort to do Potato salad cos I already promised my Dar... He helped me peel the potatoes and boil it... It looks pretty good, but I feel that it's not saltish enough... Well, it's my first attempt in making potato salad... So I'm still quite happy with the result cos Dar, daddy, mommy, june june and clarence all say nice... heehee...

Here's the pic of my potato salad...

:: Dream ::

Dream what you want to dream
Go where you want to go
Be what you want to be
Because you have only one life
and one chance to do
all the things you want to do

:: Blog Skin ::

Yoohoo... Finally I've got my blog skin... Search high and low and finally decided on this...
Did some editing... Was a tedious but fun process... Got the help from my friend, ManFei, as well... (Thanks, Fei)

Hmm... I'm gg back to do more editing... Will be back soon...

:: Excited ::

Yoohoo.... Starting my blog not for the first time though... Have a blog on Friendster, but realised that it doesn't give too much privacy... Over here, at least I am able to choose whether or not to display my posting... *heehee* (Too many prying eyes out there... Esp there's 1 big Empty Vessel)

Hmm... I have got so many things to do... I need to get someone to create a template for my blog... And who's that person??? My Ger Ger, Junie, at home... hahaha....

I'll be going to Bangkok in 2 days time... Wooooo... Can't wait to go there... Finally a long awaited holiday with my Dar Dar... *kekeke*