Missing

An old picture, as you can probably see from the date, of our family when we were in Hong Kong during the 2010 CNY. Jac still has long hair (which is cut short now) but everyone else still looks pretty much the same ;)

I just realized that I have not blogged in 3 months. Just couldn't find the time and energy to blog regularly like before. But now since I'm back home for a short self-declared break (teehee), I thought, why not blog again?

Ever since I left home to study in KMPh, I've always came back and see that my house is in its original state, exactly the same as I when I left. All my family members are here, including my maid, except daddy who works in KL and comes back almost every week.

But now, 2 years later, my sister has already graduated from high school and is now studying in Sunway University and is no longer at home. I came back to an empty room, an emptier house, with only mummy, Roy and my maid at home. I felt something missing. I actually missed my sister, who I always found very annoying when she's around.

The first day home without her, I nearly cried. It felt very different, coming back to my home to find someone not here. I was too used to having her around, until she, too, left home to pursue her studies.

I'm sure it will be the same when my brother leaves in 2 years' time. And then, the house will be even emptier, quieter than usual. And then, I might cry. Cos I'll miss him too.

I have never said this before but, I love you guys, forever & always.

Drama Review: 步步惊心 Startling By Each Step

Watched this drama during my Chinese New Year break when I should've been studying for my exams due three weeks later. Guilt-ridden but it's too good to resist!

This drama is an adaptation from a hit novel of the same name that centers around a 25-year-old office lady from modern day China whose soul time traveled to the Qing Dynasty and finds herself becoming a 13-year-old young girl (马尔泰若曦), the little sister to one of the wives of the 8th prince (八阿哥) of the Kangxi (康熙) Emperor.

Despite trying many ways to go back to the modern world, she failed and was stuck in the Qing Dynasty, where she initially stayed in the 8th prince's house, and later the palace (紫禁城), when she became the Emperor's favourite palace maid.

This story mostly revolves around her relationship with the princes, most notably the 4th prince (四阿哥), who later became the Yongzheng (雍正) Emperor; as well as the other princes, such as the 8th prince, whom she had a brief romantic relationship with, despite her older sister being one of his wives; the 10th prince (十阿哥), who is her good friend and was in love with her before; the 13th prince (十三阿哥), who is considered her best friend as he also has a modern person's thinking despite being born as a royal prince in olden China; and the 14th prince (十四阿哥), who is almost her age and later became her husband due to certain circumstances.

Armed with her knowledge about the fate of the princes that she got from her reading and drama-watching during her time in the modern era, but not knowing her own fate, she strives to survive in situations that got more and more dangerous as the princes got more and more aggressive in trying to succeed the throne (九子夺嫡) towards the end of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. She eventually gets closer to the 4th prince, initially as a step taken to protect herself from future harm as she knows that he is the one who will eventually become the next emperor, but later falling in love with him, as how he loves her too.

The plot of the drama stays close to the real Chinese history, depicting events that truly took place 300 years ago. In its seriousness, it didn't fail to entertain the audience with its occasional humour as well, which makes the show even more attractive (well at least to me :)). Even though there are fictional characters here and there, but they are all slotted in at the right place and time and are very good add-ons to the whole storyline.

In the end, she died due to a sickness that she got and she died broken hearted - wanting to meet the 4th prince/Yongzheng Emperor one last time but he did not read her letter and ended up not meeting her before she died. I cried (no matter how many times) watching the last episode when he read the letter she wrote only after he got to know that she passed away. One of the parts in the letter says,

＂当一个人轻描淡写的说出想要二字时，
他已握住了打开我心门的钥匙；
当他扔掉伞，
陪我在雨中挨着，
受着，
痛着时，
我已彻底地向他打开了门；
当他护着我，
用自己的背朝向箭时，
我已此生不能再忘……＂

Don't know why, but I like this part of the letter the most :)

She managed to return to the modern era, and found out about the rest of the lives of the princes via Internet search. Looking for traces of her existence during the Qing Dynasty, she stumbled upon a painting in an exhibition and she recognized herself in the painting by the hairpin that the girl in the picture was wearing, which is a present by Yongzheng Emperor. In the same exhibition centre, she met a man who has exactly the same face as the Yongzheng Emperor that she knew and fell in love with during her time in the Qing Dynasty but the man could not recognize her, and immediately, tears fell uncontrollably down her cheeks as she was reminded of the time they spent together in the past.

Another drama, also about time-travelling back to the Qing Dynasty - "Palace" - was released before 步步惊心。 After watching 步步惊心，I tried watching "Palace". Errr, really really not interested in continue watching it after the first episode. And even while watching the first episode, I was like, "When is this going to end?"

Reading the novel now. Am sure it's going to be even better than the drama! :) At times like this, I'm just glad I can read and understand Mandarin Chinese. Hahaha :P

P/s: Just my two cents and entirely my opinion. Doesn't necessarily reflect what other people think :)

Stressed that I'm not stressed.

I'm stressed that I'm not stressed.

I'm so chilled, it scares me.

Maybe cos I prayed for peace at heart and mind.

Well, I got it.

Thank God for that.

Or else, I won't be able to eat, sleep or study properly, like last year before Pro 1.

And that drove me up the wall, literally -.-

And because I'm so chilled, I've been procrastinating a lot.

I know it's not good, I know I shouldn't, but this thing about procrastinating, you just do it when it comes to mind, you know.

Gahhhh :'(

I just hope I'm "cool now and results will be like Selanjar 3" last year.

Not "chilled and results like Selanjar 1".

Like a big tight slap to the face or a huge whacking.

I would NOT be able to take it.

So yeah, that's how my Valentine's Day was spent.

Dating with books and my laptop.

How sad. Lol :P

I'm like this today:

Hahahaha!

And I just wana be like him, to be able to glorify God through what I do and making God my only audience, not having the need to prove myself to anyone else but Him.

Sakura!

Having fun rearranging my desktop icons!

Just because I want the sakura tree to not be blocked by them :D

And also, just because I'm bored :P

Because I can ;)

Chinese New Year Studying

Ya, I know.

Very depressing to hear what I put as my post title -.-

Buuuut, I kind of enjoyed my studying time during CNY.

Well, didn't do much but at least I touched a bit of this block here and there, that block here and there...

:)

Moving on to... PICTURES!

Awesome hotel, I tell you.

Even though it's small.

And the hotel is the reason I enjoyed studying, though I did only a little :P

This is what I see when I come out of my hotel room.

Stairway leading to the extremely conducive & cozy area below...

 The view from the stairway...

Ta-da!

Very nice right?

I didn't expect a small hotel like this to have such a comfortable area in their building.

And that sofa near the mirror panes is where I study for at most one hour every other day.

:P

Hehehehe :)

Last but not least, just to share a verse that I stumbled upon while doing my devotion today.

The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about everything, but in everything by prayer & supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
-Philippians 4:5-7

Shots taken at 12th & 13th floor of Premier Hotel, Sibu.