Recap Part II

Sighh I'm now into 5th Week (That is Oxford speak for the 5th week of term. We are very strange people who go around changing the date system and have fancy words for everything. Shall provide a full glossary one day.) and there is apparently a fresher's syndrome called 5th Week Blues. This happens when the novelty of being in Oxford wears off just as the work begins to pile up and you start to ask yourself "Why oh why do I torture myself?" Coupled with the fact that you have another month of this left to go.

This is actually pretty real. There are surveys going around asking me "Do you feel suicidal?" "Have you ever wanted to kill yourself?" "Do you feel worthless?" and so on and so forth. Plus our tutor starts calling us up to have one on one chats. Just to make sure we haven't died or drowned under the massive piles of work.

Anyway, back to recapping my weekend fun times. 2 weeks ago I went down to London (For £1 only! Oxford Tube is fantastic!) to see the lovely WY

Lover of me and all things orange.

And Varoot.

Who doesn't love me or orange things.

Anyway, being in London has turned our orange friend into quite a party animal. Clubbing every 2 weeks *tsktsk* Soon as I got to her place (after MrV dragged me all across London) we got dressed up and we were off. In the spirit of Halloween, we put quite a bit of effort into our costumes. 

I was a witch! (To which my brother said "No surprise there.") With a 50p children's hat from Tesco and fishnet stockings from Boots I was all set.

This was the first time ever I'd celebrated Halloween and it was pretty fun to just put on a costume and party it up. Spent the night chatting and drinking at the Lexington. We're all drinking cider which is like OMFG awesome. I didn't want to drink cause I didn't fancy alcohol.

But it was pretty good... That's me chugging down the entire bottle in 10s. I was pitted against the guys. Guess who won? =P Not something I'd advise though. Once is enough for me. On the right is Jasamine. The 'other' Jas who is so funny when she is high.

Oooo if you see that thing on the side of my face? Eyeliner cobweb. Last minute inspiration. Gave a real kick to my costume though.

Got the idea off of someone I saw at the Tube station. The Tube, I must say, is a mass of interlocking confusion. For me anyway. And you see the strangest medley of people. I saw Batman, Superman, a few Catwomans and at one point, I'm pretty sure I saw a midget. Or was it just my reflection...?

Sooo the next day... Well technically 5 hours later because WY only got me home at 5.00 a.m.... WY took me around her city. Actually, she took me to Oxford Street. I know, the irony. Asian food and camwhoring galore.

Found durians! Even this smelly little piece of home was such a welcome sight. I was a typical tourist.

Small town girl in the big city...

WY also took me to this rather questionable shop she found selling Lolita-esque dresses. This is what the girl does in her free time. *tsktsktsk*

The day ended with a meal of pizza, garlic bread and salad. All prepared in our own kitchen. Marks and Spencers ready cooked meals at £5! Such a good deal I found the need to advertise. Oh and cheesecake for dessert. After that, with a full stomach and empty wallet, I took the Tube to the bus station and hopped on the bus that would take me home. I did this all by myself mind you. And thankfully, didn't get lost. I consider that an achievement. Navigating the Tube is no easy feat.

Well that's all for my London weekend. It was great to see familiar faces and say "Oh yeah, we knew each other from high school." Even a little piece of home can be such solace.

Check out FB for pics.

Oh WY and her wicked ways.

I must say I totally love this Photobooth picture though so I just had to post it up. We got the book cover down pat. Even with the hats.

Recap Part I

Oh I have been having the most terrible week because this is half-term and my tutorial sessions are changing over to different professors. My usual tutes are Friday so work is in Thursday but my tutes changed to Monday so work had to be in Sunday instead of Thursday. And that was the week I had WY visiting me from London and all sorts of reasons to procrastinate.

But lest you guys think I have no life here... Quick recap of the last 3 weeks.

3 weeks ago I went to Bicester Village which is like this pretty little factory outlet thing 20 minutes from Oxford. You go there to shop for every high end brand you can dream off; DKNY, Dior, CK, etc. at like ridiculously cheap prices. Well, cheap for the brands anyway eg. JM's long-desired Kipling handbag (which I haven't had a chance to go and get) is £20 (Am now expecting lots of requests before I go home in June.)

But being the kiam siap kui I am Bicester was not exactly the perfect place for me. So I just spent time going around to random shops and trying on stuffs likeeee:

Cute le? Anyone interested in a giant big ass bow that's bigger than your head? I must say it makes quite the fashion statement. Oh and if you notice that my hair is wet its because it was raining... like it is every day here -_-" The gorgeous weather in my first two weeks tricked me. I feel so cheated.

Oh oh but this was the top attraction in Bicester:

Porridge the Polar Bear. Isn't that adorable? I would so name a polar bear Porridge.

And there's this cute little plaque at the bottom that says "Porridge would like you not to get hurt so please do not climb on him" Although I have to admit I was tempted to =)

But after that whole long day of shopping I only ended up with:

A fuzzy hat and a big ass touristy type Oxford University sweatshirt. Like I said Oxford students don't actually wear Oxford University sweats. They wear college ones. But this one was like half off. Why? They were discontinuing the line because the girly sizes were too small and no one wanted to buy them =(

Yeap, since coming here I've suffered a dramatic decrease in terms of clothing size.

These are Size 6 leggings (US equivalent size 2 I think) and I looked at them thinking they're ridiculously small I'll probably need a bigger size. Buttt they be too small =O Horror. My tights are too loose???

Over here I shop in the kids section... Kids have pretty nice clothes I've always said. And now I know for sure. Plus, kids clothes are cheaper. Like a lot cheaper. But its very demeaning. All my clothes are labelled for Ages 10-12.

This is the label on my lab coat. At first they gave me one for Ages 7-9 BUT It was too short for me *nods* cause I be tall.

Jasryn Ng: Rarely seen at or above eye level.

Some things never change eh?


P.S. For more on LDRs check out the links I just added to the post.

Long Distance Loving

Keeping your LDR strong

As our studies and work call us take us to places, we can sometimes find ourselves separated from the one we love. Certainly many couples have been through it but many do not go past the starting line and even fewer last after that. A cruel world?

I am almost 5 years and 9 months into a long distance relation ship. First it was 500 kilometres. Then it was across the globe. And right now, I'm still far away dreaming about the day I will get to go back for good. Well, there are many ways to make a LDR work. Here are the ones that got me through so far:

1. Long Distance Relationships can work!

Before I bade farewell to my Babe at the start of our LDR, I made it very clear in my mind that we were going to pull this through. After almost 6 years, here we are! We are still student living on a shoestring budget yet, we somehow managed to keep our relationship alive and kicking. Despite all the negative stigma, LDR can be made to work. You just have to want it so much to work. Remember, it will not be permanent.

When there is a will, there is a way. It is not easy but if you find someone worth holding on to for the rest of your life, then the added effort will not go to waste at all. Learn the implied things that is expected and learn the techniques that can be used. Set up rules and make sure you make time for your partner. These are just simplest things but the most fundamental things that will ensure that love can flourish when physical contact is removed.

LDR is also quite important in a way that it tests your love and your dedication. So a person with dedication and true love would no have so much problems going into one. Be sure you know what you are committing yourself to first. No offence but make sure that it is really love thats going on. The type that you can see yourself together with that special person for a very long time to come. Otherwise, LDR might be an excuse to move on. I guess that is what many people end up with, not being able to tell the difference between an LDR and an excuse.

The lesson here: To survive a LDR, you have to learn how. There are many tips, logical and interesting ways you and resources all over that will help you stay together despite the distance. Look for motivation or inspiration from people who have lasted and finished the LDR race to live happily ever after.

The Learning Curve

Today marks exactly a month and a day since I set foot in Oxford - City of Dreaming Spires. And the post is titled as such because that's what this past month has been; a learning curve. Learning and acquiring a whole new way of walking (there is a whole bloody load of that), talking, dressing, living.

Coming here, at the risk of sounding overly dramatic, was like being born again. Arriving in a new city, a new country, a new culture... it is all at once breathtaking and terrifying. Kinda how I suppose a newborn would feel being shoved out of the safe, comfy womb into a whole new, completely foreign world.

That's what this is. Not just a new town or a new country but a new world. Everything - every sight, sound, smell, taste - is so fascinating. My senses felt assaulted the first few days with all these unfamiliar surroundings - different street signs, car number plates, shop names, household brands - that I just walked around looking like that @.@ <-- this (according to a friend of mine) is the 'gong' face.

I mean they were just little things like the type of fruits in the market or the pound signs on price tags. But everywhere I went I took my camera out and snapped a picture because it was all so wonderfully novel I just had to try and capture it. (And I'm a camwhore but that's another story la.) Heck I even have a picture of a raspberry.

But time here has passed relatively slow. I know I should say fast cause that's what people say but the truth is, the pace of life in Oxford is very fast and I am running around every day, all my hours filled with things to do, places to go, people to see. So the time that I've spent here feels much longer than a month because it feels impossible to have done all these things in a mere 30 days. Some people say that means I'm settling in well. Which is good I guess. I haven't cried since I got here. My mummy called and asked


"Are you crying every night there???"

"I have no time to cry mum."

Anyway, back to settling in... In my one month of university student life, through several cock ups (ooo fancy British-y word?) and many LOL moments, I've learnt a bunch of things; like...

How to cook maggi with only a bowl and plate


How to wear a skirt in 10 degree weather


How to keep walking when you're lost


How to make full use of the heater as a dryer cum hand warmer


How to tag your stuff in the refrigerator


How to close your curtains when you change
(And how to never look out your window to avoid seeing things you don't want to)


How to run down for dinner on time to avoid long queues


How to avoid the bathroom the morning after club night 
(Can anyone say throw up?) 


And how to use any available surface to dry laundry 

All very useful stuff I assure you. (Oh right and uhhh academic biochemistry-ish type things as well of course.) But there are some things I will never understand;


Why people queue up for every single bloody thing


Why our cafeteria seems to think chips and peas are classified as vegetables


Why nobody here seems to know there's more than two ways to eat vegetables
(Raw or boiled?)


Why there is cheese and bacon in everything


Why you can drink the same water you wash your cup with
(Out of the tap??? It boggles the mind O.o)


Why cars actually stop for students crossing the road


Why all shops close at 5.00p.m. (4 on Sundays)


Why nobody brings laptops to lectures
(Seriously. And we're not allowed to bring graphical calculators either. Low tech!)


Why the Brits say "Cheers" for everything
(Its the new Cheerio!)


Why people dress up in animal ears and the like every so often


Why chocolate can be cheaper than bread


Why £1 is considered very cheap
(That's RM5.50 people!)


Why I need so much stuff with me all the time; gloves, coat, hat, umbrella, etc.


Why its so freaking cold!!!


Hahaha. It seems as though there are a lot of things I will never understand. But maybe in time, it'll all become a little more familiar. After getting lost and embarrassing myself various times, I've managed to learn how to get where I need to be and do what I need to do... roughly. And Oxford with its little alleys, ancient stonework, long history and cobblestone streets is starting to feel more and more like home.

In fact, spending last weekend in London, I came to realise how much happier I am in this little town. I mean city life is fun and hip and happening (not everything shuts at 5.00 p.m.) and its great for a weekend but anything more than that is not for me. Amidst all the rush and fuss of London, I started to miss my cobblestones and looming towers. And when I was on the bus on my work back, as soon as the wheels started to turn towards Oxford, I texted my friends and said "I'm coming home."

Fitting in: My purple Oxford hoodie! only £10 (usual price £20) I shall explain why later on.

P.S. That was technically not fitting in. No one in the actual university really walks around in these hoodies. They usually wear more understated ones with the college name printed at the side.

P.P.S. Wow this has been really long. I started it with no clear idea of what I wanted to write, only why. And now 1.5 hours (and an incomplete piece of homework) later, there you go.


P.P.P.S LAST ONE! Sorry. I just had to say, in response to some recent sentiment, I know it seems as though I'm showing off being in Oxford. I've been talking about university a lot and it seems as though I hardly ever talk about anything else. But that's because... honestly... there isn't much else. Back in Penang there were things and friends outside school. But here... I live in college. I also eat, sleep, work, breathe here. So everything I do, everyone I meet is uni-associated. The uni practically owns the town. Come on, thousands of pounds in revenue must come from selling Oxford souvenirs alone. The town is about the university. So that's why. There you go, there it is. Believe it or not, that's your problem. I don't explain myself twice.

=(

2.         Untuk makluman saudara, permohonan yang diterima di bawah program ini adalah sangat menggalakkan. Walau bagaimanapun, memandangkan peruntukkan yang ada telahpun digunakan sepenuhnya, Jabatan ini telah memutuskan untuk menangguhkan pelaksanaan program ini. Pelaksanaan seterusnya adalah bergantung kepada kemampuan kewangan Kerajaan.


The government doesn't want to buy my soul.