Sacrifice

For the past month, I have been working for my family at our bakery. They were short on people as many workers took time off to visit their home country. When initially faced with this crisis, my aunty wasn't sure what to do. She had some hopes that other girls would step up to help and she would someone magically schedule everyone to fill up the gaps. But my dear mother simply said, "I'll tell Sophia to work." And that was it. 

I honestly didn't mind that I was working 6 days a week. It got me out of the house and I was working, which I had given up hope on because of the constant rejection. The only thing I regret is that my shift is always in the middle of the day and by the end I would be too tired to consider going out. So my social life took a backseat (amazingly enough, I still managed to see Karen at least once a week).

When I got my pay it would go straight to the bank. I've been saving up for a while now but it's still a small amount. I live off my youth allowance which pays for my necessities (like transportation, dental and phone bills) and for food and clothes. So after a month, it was nice to see how much I've saved up. It wasn't much, but it's still something. 

Now that I'm back in university, I am officially dependent on my youth allowance again. However, to make the most of it, I have decided that my new goal is to send only $10 a day, which includes transportation. That's right. Only $10. 

I didn't magically decide that $10 was my goal. The number arose after some calculations I made regarding my necessities in consideration to my youth allowance, which would allow me to save $5 a day. Therefore, with this goal, I will essentially be living on $4 a day as $6 would go to public transport. 

I'm looking forward to the challenge that this will present. Although I will be living on $10 a day, I know that exceptions will be made when I'm with my friends or need something. I am aiming to cut out everything else and to be mindful of my money.

The money that I save up will be used for one purpose only. My trip to Vietnam with Tuyen,  JP and Alyssa. We've planned this trip since high school. Some concessions had to be made because my graduation ceremony will be in December so I won't be able to tour the rest of Asia with them. But Vietnam is my main priority. I miss my family and can't wait to surprise them with an unannounced visit. 

I've been living on $10 for a week now and so far, it's been successful. I just hope that this can last till the end of the year.

Mali in the City

Common pictures that have shown up on my 365 Project blog are elephant sculptures. For a while, I've wondered why elephants are starting to populate the city, and here's the answer.

A spectacular exhibition featuring fifty life-sized painted elephant sculptures inspired by Mali, the Zoo's first Asian Elephant calf, to celebrate Melbourne Zoo's 150th Anniversary in 2012.

Mali is an ambassador for many species facing extinction. She represents Zoos Victora's commitment to fighting the extinction of threatened species in Australia and overseas.

Zoos Victoria works with our community to reduce the threats that humans pose to wildlife. We have madea commitment to ensure that no more Victorian land-based species will go extinct on our watch.

Credit: Plaque

Total Mali elephants: 50 (Part I, II & III)
Amount that I've spotted: 8

42 more elephants to find? CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

CHALLENGE: DO SOMETHING NEW EACH MONTH

The January Edition;
CHALLENGE o4: Strawberry Picking
Together with Tuyen, we went strawberry picking! We originally wanted to go cherry picking but they weren't in season.

So on one of the hottest days of summer, we travelled to the strawberry farm just to pick some strawberries. The total travel time was around 2 hours, but we were only hunchbacked for about 30 minutes. Since it was towards the end of the strawberry season and we arrived in the afternoon, there wasn't much good looking ones left. But when we did find them, boy did I treasure them.

Despite my belief that I could eat as I picked, it was kind of hard to do. Strawberries are grown on soil, duh, so it was quite dusty and quite unhygienic. I also told Tuyen to bring her straw hat cause I was bringing mine. When she saw what I had for a straw hat, she swore she'll disown me as a friend if I wore it. What's wrong with my awesome Vietnamese straw hat?

Now for the little reflective piece at the end.

I wonder how farmers are able to do this for a living. It's a lot of hard work and despite it being a good work out, my back was aching quite a bit. I know that on the day, I complained about the weather and wanted to go another day, but farmers don't have that option. Their livelihood is reliant on Mother Nature's mood, and hell does she have one heck of a mood swing.

This got me thinking about my farmer friends back in Western Australia. I hope they're doing well.

CHALLENGE: DO SOMETHING NEW EACH MONTH

This month, I decided to attend my first gig to support a friend! The video above belongs to an act that were on before him. They performed covers and I could only recognise a few of them.This is their version of Rolling in the Deep. Unfortunately, I only recorded half of this performance. Needed to save the battery!

The experience made me very determined to see artists that I like in concert. The obvious difference between watching a video on youtube and seeing them live in person is well, you see them there in front of your very eyes. But the performance. I can't even begin to imagine the atmosphere or the sensations of watching a performance live (I remember being able to feel feet stomping during the gig). And of course, how the artists themselves interact with the audience and how they try to engage us and make us feel for what they are doing.

I've watched a lot of performances throughout the years (via youtube) and the most engaging ones are when the artists are having fun on stage or when they lose all sense of themselves to the performance they are giving. It doesn't matter if they forget some part of the lyrics or aren't in sync when dancing. The overall effect is so much greater than the individual sum of its parts.

Reading

I used to read a lot as a kid. My favourite series were undoubtedly Harry Potter. My favourite children book author was Ronald Dahl. Despite the numerous books I've read, these two are held close to my heart. [Harry Potter, now and forever more, will be a series of books that will own my heart and soul. Harry Potter has my childhood and will be a story that I will share with my children and grandchildren (if I have them).]

Anyway, I love books, I love the many different worlds that I can experience. I love when they are written right, I'm rooting for the protagonist with everything they do. I love getting lost in a book and not realise how much time has passed because I'm so interested and entertained by the thrilling stories.

As I grew up, I found less time to enjoy this hobby. During high school, the only books I read were the compulsory school books. I had completely abandoned books, and along with it, my imagination. But they have never abandoned me. They were always there, just waiting for me to be ready to pick them up and start again. To pick up where I left off, like old friends.

Since the beginning of this year, I've started to read when I'm not exhausted from university or when I happen to have some spare time. I tend to borrow any books that seems interesting at the Rowden Library. While I was looking for The Hunger Games, I found this poster. Now I'm intend to read all the books on this list. It'll take a while, but I'm still going to accept this challenge.





* I read a lot of fanfiction during high school. Some of them, in my eyes, were worthy to be published as books. It just goes to show how you can find gems in the oddest places.

CHALLENGE: DO SOMETHING NEW EACH MONTH

The Decemeber Edition;
Challenge 03: Travel
Decemeber, 2011.

I was in Vietnam and therefore, that counts as something new. I was able to experience the thrills and joys of once again being on a motorbike. I have found the courage to cross the busy crowded roads by myself. I have improved my Vietnamese language skills. I have re-connected with my relatives that I dearly love in Vietnam. I have found a little part of myself.

After I came back to Australia, I began wondering how life was quite wonderful in Vietnam. If I didn't take into account of standard living conditions, the communist government, education and careers, then there's a very high possibility that I would move to Vietnam. To live. Pernamently. That was how much I love that country, and it was for one reason only - my family.

I felt like I haven't been able to spend quality time with my family for a very long time. I felt like it's been far too long since we all sat down to have dinner; at the same time and at the same place. In Australia, I was always eating irregulary because of University. As a whole, everyone was doing their own thing - studying, on the computer, television, reading the newspaper etc. But in Vietnam, we were able to be together as a family. Not only that, but with the extended family that I have no seen for ~5 years.

With this vacation, my belief that "my family is my home" has strengthened. I would never be able to pernmently live in another country unless my family is with me. I don't think I'll ever leave Springvale.

CHALLENGE: DO SOMETHING NEW EACH MONTH

CHALLENGE o2: Get to the airport by myself.


Since I'm going to the airport by myself, I need to plan everything and make sure nothing goes wrong. It feels so daunting, because I've got no one to rely on. If anything happens, I'll have to figure it out myself and need to be confident enough to get help when I need it.

Anyways, this post will just contain all the information I need to actually get myself to the airport.

PLANE DEPATURE: 11.25AM
AIRLINE: Vietnam Airlines
ARRIVAL AT AIRPORT: 2-3 hours before plane departs ==> 8.30-9.30AM

TRANSPORTATION
Destination: Home to Southern Cross
Method: Train
Duration: ~40mins
Cost: FREE, arrive at station before 7am

Destination: Southern Cross to Bus Terminal at Airport
Method: Skybus
Duration: ~20mins
Cost: $16
Purchase: Online or at Skybus booth

Destination: Bus Terminal at Airport to T2 (International Terminal)
Method: Walk
Duration: ~10-20mins
Direction: MAP1

PREPARING TO FLY
Checking IN:

• Go to counter on FIRST floor of Terminal 2
• Passport
• Travel documents (ticket and/or booking reference)
• Departing passenger card
• Counters OPEN 2hr and 30min before scheduled time of departure (9AM)
  
• Counters for Vietnam Airline: 66-77
  

Customs and Border Protection:

• Be here ~90min before departure time (10AM)
  
• Take laptop, mobile and coins out
• Present liquids, gels (>100mL) and Polaroid film
• **Carry-on baggage can weigh up to 7kg, maximum size of 115 cm (56 cm x 36 cm x 23 cm)**
  

Anyways, I'm about to set off. I can't help feeling so excited despite not sleeping at all. Yeah, I ended up just painting my nail, watching drama etc just to keep myself awake. I don't want to miss my plane, so this is my sacrifice. Afterall, I can catch up on sleep once I hop on the plane. It's just waiting at the airport for 3-4hours that's gonna be hell.

Alright, time to go.

Farewell my friends, I'll see you soon.

CHALLENGE: DO SOMETHING NEW EACH MONTH

I decided to do this a while ago, and actually did one this month. Now I'm finally going to blog about it :D


CHALLENGE o1: Wear high heels for ONE day.
I don't wear high heels unless it's a special occasion. It's not my thing for one reason and one reason only - THEY FREAKING KILL. Seriously, it's like they were invented to test the endurance of women.

Since I don't go out on Saturday and Sunday, I decided to wear them during the week, but since I have no day offs, I ended up wearing them as I run around my uni. Not my idea of fun. Especially since I do a lot of running/walking in a day.

But on that day, I was meeting up with Karen. So for her, I was walking around city. Thank goodness we were at Pepperoni's for more than an hour so I could let my poor feet rest. But by the end of the day, I dreaded every step I took. The only motivation I had was the reminder that I survived formal last year...

Which didn't really last that long. After I dropped Karen off at the traffic lights, ha ha, I walked to my street, found an inconspicuous area and took them off. I walked home with no shoes. BEST. DECISION. EVER.

Worst thing about wearing these heels were the pain that last till the next 2 day. That's right, TWO days. Even after two night's rest, I could still feel the after-effects. I don't understand how women can wear these shoes on a regular basis and still smile with glee. I guess my uncle was right - they don't feel no pain cause they don't got no nerves.

Anyways, the only quirk I got out of it was being a little taller than usual. Apart from that, I didn't really think there was a benefit to wearing heels that kill.

I don't think I'll repeat this anytime soon.

05 | A letter to the person who has hurt you the most this year

Like I said, my life wasn't dramatic this year, so no one actually did anything to cause me pain. I can't really think of anyone who has hurt me this year...but maybe if I think hard enough I'll be able to pinpoint someone?



Alright, found someone.





To whom this is addressed to,

You hurt me. But you didn't leave me as an emotional wreck.
You hurt me. But you didn't make me damage my body to forget the pain.
You hurt me. But you're still my friend.

I'll probably never tell you how you had hurt me because honestly, it's quite insignificant.

You'll probably have no recollection of it.
You'll probably continue hurting me the same way over and over again.
You'll probably never know why what you do hurts me.

But what can I do? I can't change this about you. So I'll accept it, feel the pain, move on and let it repeat.

04 | A moment where you were the most proud of yourself in 2010

Maybe this is something that most people will glance over and never really care about, but its something I'm quite proud of. In a crowded and noisy room, I made conversation with a stranger. Sometimes we even became friends!

It's something that I'm quite proud of because like the "typical" Asian that I am, I have no social skills. Okay, very little social skills. My life revolved around school (all girls, so no fishes there XD) and tutor. I hardly ever go out unless its for tutor. On the rare occasions that I do, it's always with Kim and Anna. It's just us, and hardly ever anyone else. So I've never really had to use any social skills since I was never in a situation that asked for it.

I was alone at Jacks for some sessions for a period of time. Completely and utterly alone. I don't really realise it most of the time, since I'm content with just continuing my work despite it being break time. As long as the person next to me didn't stink and never took too much space, I was fine.

But there are always those rare occasions when I sat next to someone who I found it easy to strike a conversation...or the other person would happen to be alone as well and really couldn't stand not talking. Either way, I started talking to these strangers and got to know them. If I was lucky enough, we became friends.

There was this one guy who I won't forget. He was so direct in asking for my contact details. Thankfully, we were still technically acquaintances so he gave me his email since I didn't want to reveal to much information about myself. Unfortunately, I lost his email before I could add him. Farewell my short lived friendship!

And apart from that, the friendship that I have with Alex, Edward, Bryan, Ryan and Tony is also something I'm grateful for. So, in conclusion, the moment I was most proud of was when I forged friendships throughout the year (yeah, cheating a bit since that's more than one moment~)



P.S: Finishing VCE is a given no? XD

03 | The most valuable lesson you learned this year

The most valuable lesson you learned this year.

I don't really know.

I've learnt so many things this year that I'm not quite sure which one is the most valuable. I am grateful that my life isn't dramatic this year, after all, stress from year 12 alone is enough to scare me crazy.

But since school has ended, I guess this is the most important. If I want to continue a relationship with my friends, we've both got to take the initiative. I don't care if all we do is hang around at someone's house, at least we're together...and that's what counts. I want to be in their presence and remember that I can never take it for granted. After all, anything can happen in life. One minute they're there and then the next, they're gone (figuratively and literally). So I really want to sustain my friendship with the people who are dear to me. That's why I'm looking forward to my coffee dates :D

02 | A picture of a moment/day you will never forget in 2010

I completely forgot about this challenge. Then again, I've been so busy this last week because of the Christmas season. The last time my Christmas was this hectic was 2 years ago. It feels nostalgic to be running around the church trying to find matches to light the candle because I lost my lighter :/ (I don't smoke ==")

Anyways, one of the reason why I put this off was because they're are so many pictures to choose from and because Graduation Dinner was coming up. But I finally made up my mind and found the one I wanted...by going through Facebook (Y)



Since the picture is from Facebook, the quality isn't that great.

The reason why this moment is unforgettable is because it's the last time the class of 2010 of Killester College will be together. It's the last time we'll go crazy together, the last time we try to make an effort and do something, the last time we're gonna sing our hearts out, the last time we'll be awesome together. I don't think I'll ever be able to see most of these people ever again, and if I do, maybe I won't even remember who they are. But they're still very special to me. Each of them are part of the class of 2010. Together, we've grown up. Together, we've made it.

And well, I can't help but feel grateful to be surrounded by such awesome people. Teachers who have taught at other schools always go on about how great Killester girls are. How nice and genuine everyone is. How teachers are actually shown some respect and that we actually develop a relationship with them. I wish the teachers were in this picture too. They've played a great part of my life and I cherish them for all they've done.

01| A letter to the friend who has been there through your hardest time in 2010

I'm going to cheat and address this to more than one friend.

To my awesome friends,

We have been together for 6 years now.

That's six years of history that has been engraved in my memory. Although my memory fails me from time to time, just know that every memory we've created is precious and can never be replaced.

Throughout our friendship, we've had our ups and downs. But we made it. We made it through all the bad times. We've had our lows, and if we can make it through that, what can stop us from being friends in the future? Sure, our lives will change after this year; we won't be able to see each other every single day, we won't be able to be in the same classes, we won't be able to take for granted what school has given us - the foundation of our friendship, the place where we first met.

But you know what? We spend our holidays without much contact. We don't always meet up, we've got other commitments. Despite that, when we do meet up, nothing changes. We're not bitter for not staying in contact, we're not sour because we spend our times with others. At times like those, I truly understand what it means to have friends who you don't keep in contact for a long time with nothing changing. You're still my friend, and I'm yours.

I'm honesty happy that nothing dramatic has happened to me this year. Exams are probably the hardest experience we'll go through as well as separation from school and the friends we've made along the way. But you're always with me, every step of the way. You accept me, faults and all. There's nothing more I can ask for.

I love you guys.

". . . There are just certain people in this world that you meet and instantly hit it off with. The chemistry blows through the roof. It's intense, like this gripping fire that just won't you let you go. You feel as though you've known them for a long time, like an old friend who managed to travel with you life time after life time. The conversations are great, perfect. The interactions are intimate, personal. You tell that person everything about yourself, every little secret. You're not shy, you're liberated.

We may not be there yet, but we can be, can't be?

HAHA, I don't think this letter really addresses the challenge...but whatever~

Another challenge :O

Just backtracking Sophie's blog and thought this was a nice challenge :D

She's done so many quizzes and challenges that it still amazes me to this day~

Continue being awesome Sophie! :D

Day 1: A letter to the friend who has been there through your hardest time in 2010
Day 2: A picture of a moment/day you will never forget in 2010
Day 3: The most valuable lesson you learned this year
Day 4: A moment where you were the most proud of yourself in 2010
Day 5: A letter to the person who has hurt you the most this year
Day 6: Something you learned about yourself in 2010
Day 7: Two things you really look forward in the upcoming new year
Day 8: The first picture taken of you in 2010
Day 9: Five things you still hope to accomplish in these 3 months before 2011
Day 10: One quote that sums up your (almost) whole year

K-POP CHALLENGE

I thought this challenge would be interesting to complete...

day 1: your favorite k-pop guy group
day 2: your favorite k-pop girl group
day 3: your ultimate k-pop guy bias
day 4: your ultimate k-pop girl bias
day 5: your favorite k-pop song from your favorite guy group
day 6: your favorite k-pop song from your favorite girl group
day 7: a k-pop song that makes you cry
day 8: a k-pop song you know all the words to
day 9: your favorite k-pop performance
day 10: a k-pop dance you’d like to learn
day 11: your favorite k-pop music video
day 12: the very first k-pop song you ever heard
day 13: a k-pop group you dislike and why
day 14: a k-pop song that makes you smile
day 15: a k-pop song that reminds you of someone you miss
day 16: your favorite k-pop lyric (and a translation)
day 17: a k-pop idol you wish was your older sibling
day 18: a k-pop idol you wish was your younger sibling
day 19: your favorite interview of a k-pop idol or group
day 20: your favorite picture of your guy k-pop bias
day 21: your favorite picture of your girl k-pop bias
day 22: your favorite picture of your favorite k-pop group
day 23: a picture of a k-pop idol who you think is underrated
day 24: a picture of a k-pop idol who you think is overrated
day 25: your favorite k-pop music video
day 26: your favorite cover of a k-pop song by another k-pop artist
day 27: your favorite dance battle
day 28: your favorite cover of an american song by a k-pop artist
day 29: a k-pop song you never get tired of
day 30: a k-pop idol that has amazing eye smiles

Originally posted: 11/05/2010 @ 7.45AM

---

I've finally finished this challenge! Never thought it'll be so hard to do :/
I got lazy and just did a bunch of them in one go XD
I was taking a look at some other people's answers for this challenge...
I found it funny how every question was BIG BANG orientated.
I know that everyone around me knows that I'm a dedicated DBSK fan...
so I wanted to post some different artists...despite them being my other biases ^^

30 | a k-pop idol that has amazing eye smiles

CHANGMIN



DONGWAN
Seriously...how can this man be 31 years old?!


LEE SEUNG GI


JUNYOUNG


KEVIN, KWANGHEE, JUNYOUNG

29 | a k-pop song you never get tired of

PARK HYO SHIN - Deja vu
This is the only song I can think of right now...I'm sure there are others though XD

28 | your favorite cover of an american song by a k-pop artist

PARK HYO SHIN - Listen (Beyonce Cover)
A wonderful song. I'm still in love with this song till this day.
But...having a male sing it just makes it even better.
His voice is just so beautiful.
I think I've run out of words to describe my love for his voice...
Simply amazing. AMAZING!!!~



JUNSU - My Everything
This man can sing in any language he wants, have crap
pronunciation, be a total FOB and I'll still listen to him sing.
I wish I can see him on stage on day...

27 | your favorite dance battle

DANCE BATTLE: SHINHWA vs SE7EN
Took me a while to find it, but here it is~
The quality isn't that great...
but when I first got into KPOP, I remember how awed I was by this.
I think it was this dance battle ^^"



Dance Battle: ZE:A vs BEAST
So...this isn't my favourite, but one of the most recent ones I've watched ;D



Dance Battle: Battle of the Princesses
(Seriously, this was what it was called...if I remembered right)
This may not be my most favourite dance battle, but it sure is one of the most memorable.
I watched it because of KARA, Wonder Girls, SNSD and Black Pearl.
My sister watched it for her Kim Bum XD
I'm pretty sure they had debutted in the same year (2007) at around the same time.
As a fan of KARA back then, I felt so bad for them. I don't remember why anymore...but its probably due to the difference in popularity.
Wonder Girls and SNSD has always been popular, it wasn't until recently that KARA shone.
Black Pearl suffered the most. I always considered them more of a ballad group...so for them to do a dance battle was kind of... ehhh?

26 | your favorite cover of a k-pop song by another k-pop artist

PARK HYO SHIN - Look Only At Me
I've always liked the song orginally sang by Taeyang, but when Park Hyo Shin sang it... DAMN. HAHAHA.
Sorry, it's not that I'm biased, but it was so different and refreshing to hear him cover the song.
I became so obessed over his cover that I ripped it from the video and it was on repeat
for days on end. I still love it to bits. Awesome performance from my bias :D

P.S: I can only remember two of the "back up" singers in the back - Lyn and Wheesung.