Golden Oreos

Marcus, this post is for you. Haha, I doubt u will ever read my blog anyway.

I've finally tasted Golden Oreos! This is something you don't get back home in Malaysia and Singapore ok?

Marcus damn funny leh. After months of not talking to him, he sent me an email:

"Yo! tried those golden oreos yet? =p"

That's all he said!! THAT'S ALL. He didn't even bother to ask me how I was doing in the states. I had to refresh the page to see if there was any error, to check if there was something wrong with my internet, to make sure that no internet alien kidnapped some of the words he sent me.

Nothing.

But then I decided to try out the Golden Oreos anyway and check them out.

It's damn nice leh, but not as nice as the black ones. Apparently, it's called ORIGINAL oreos. I wonder what they call the oreo cookies? Traditional? o_o

Anyway, the outside cookie is golden, so there is a crisp crunch and a slight sweet vanilla flavor.

As I was happily snacking away on the golden oreos, my mouth stopped chewing instantly when my eyes rested on the Nutrition Facts.

Die lor.. I didn't know oreos so fattening one!

Only fats, sodium and potassium. No vitamin A,C or calcium at all!

Too late again. They're already in my stomach, some probably still on their way down my intestine, ready for digestion.

The Law of Attraction

Why the hell is it so difficult to understand how couples function. I'm sorry folks for boring you out with stuff like that, but this question has been bothering me for a very very long time and I cannot don't do research, u see?

I've been reading a lot of novels lately, u know la, all those sappy romantic novels. Damn novels. Always make me cry like hell and then make me feel so jealous of those characters in the novels for finding true love in the end, rejoicing at the fact that love at first sight really exists and blah blah blah. U know, the normal romantic stuff.

So, I've decided to sit down in front of my computer and really google about it. Solve the big mystery once and for all, and then I can go about doing things that I want to do peacefully without that nagging question in my mind.

So, do opposites really attract each other?

U know, like cats attract dogs.

Sometimes you are attracted to someone completely different than you, and you can't help but to find out more about the other party. Like he's a homebody, you're wordly; he's outgoing, you're shy. You can't help but think that opposites really attract each other right. Come on, I'm sure the allure of the exciting life ahead is gonna be enough to last you through your next life.

Are all the hollywood romantic scenes and comedies u see fake? I mean think about it, how deeply can they expresss their love for each other in a 2-hour movie right?

In actuality, research has shown that opposites will repel each other faster than you know. We are more likely to date and marry someone who is similar to ourselves, in terms of intelligence, attitude, underlying values, religion, age, values and physical attractiveness!!

Hehe... my friends always say I look motherly -_- So I wonder if I would ever find any other guy as fatherly as I am leh?

Oh manz... worse still ... I'm so short, EQ so low (quote Kiat Weng, Ronnie, KB, YR, ZHU. They always tease me until can die leh), so silly, always say the wrong stuff at the wrong time. Hell, I don't want a partner like that! o_0

Not good not good. I must strive to improve myself so I can attract the perfect guy!

Ok, back to main question again. So is love at first sight possible?

Let's see... According to wikipedia (wikipedia damn accurate, so we should never doubt it ok!)

"Love at first sight is an emotional condition whereby a person feels romantic attraction for a stranger on the first encounter with the stranger.....Sometimes two people experience this phenomenon towards each other at the same time, usually when their eyes meet."

Love at first sight occurs in Romeo and Juliet, and in the famous "The Simpsons" where Homer falls in love with Marge.

The first thing I can think about is those electrifying eyes. Haha, like those comical stuff that happen in Taiwanese dramas. Die lor... what if I fall in love at first sight, and then get electrocuted instantly even before I can enjoy the love o_0

Not good not good also.

But good news for all of us hopeless romantics, romance-novel addicts and chick flick junkies!!!

It turns out there's scientific merit to that whole "Love at First Sight" thing.

"In fact, a recent study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships showed that the first few minutes of meeting someone has a huge influence on the course the relationship will ultimately take. (Which explains why you know before the drinks come that your "just perfect for you" blind date is a no-go, or that hunky online hottie has definite possibilities.) " - msn news

Yeay!! So maybe Hollywood movies are not exaggerating the "Love At First Sight" thing after all. Ok ok, maybe just a little. But then that goes to show another thing, when it comes to first impressions, you'd better get on your game.

I also found out one funny fact! If you're a girl, wearing red is the way to go coz it's the most stimulating colour. If you're a guy, your best bet is blue coz blue symbolizes stable, faithful and always there."

So maybe I should try changing my wardrobe eh?

Xiao. I would never do that lor. Wasting money.

So that's the conclusion of my half hour research. I wonder why some people have so much time to do experiments and researches on stuff like that?

Rediscovering Philly

Who says you can't fun at Philly? The city of brotherly love is fun to explore ok!

I've been here close to a year, and I can finally tell people, I live in Philly. Due to my hectic schedule the entire school year, I am guilty to say that I haven't been exploring much, but thanks to Siang-ee, Robyn and Eden, my last few weeks of summer in Philly were awesome!

So, Siang-ee brought us to this famous italian restaurant at rittenhouse square (paiseh leh, forgot the name pula), but it is one the best italian restaurant in Philly I've been so far. It doesn't get packed for no reason... even the given portions are humungous.

Siang-ee was like: "let's order family-sized carbonara, and then a medium pizza, and salad too! Should be enough to feed all of us la."

Yeah right, it was MORE than enough to feed all of us.

We ended up ordering food enough to feed 8 people.

This has got to be the biggest family-sized carbonara dish I've ever seen.

They always say Asians are tiny, Asians cannot eat a lot. Like real lor. Have you ever noticed that Asians are always the ones winning the eating competitions. Just name it, and you have it. 2007 Hotdog competition was won by a Japanese. haha. Oh tiny asians.

Anyway, we rationed out the food, divided the food into "almost equal" portions and started to dig in. Sometimes I feel so bad for eating so much. There are so many starving kids in Africa! Anyhow, we finally managed to finish everything.

Mission was kinda impossible but we accomplised it!

I don't know how we managed to smile and pose for the picture after eating so much o_0

Oh, and then I went all crazy with the last pepperoni on the pizza dish as well. The waiter wanted to clear away the "empty" dishes, but I yelled at him, told him to go away and leave the plate there. Hehe, he never came back after that.

My mummy has always told me, cannot anyhow waste food ok! So I obediently ate up the last pepperoni. lol.

And then our eating journey continues... We went to a Gelato ice-cream shop for more ice-cream. Before that, Siang-ee decided to put his photography skills to test.

They ran out to the middle of the road in 2 seconds, snap the picture in 2 seconds and ran back to the sidewalk in 2 seconds.

We are just a crazy bunch of kids -_-

So, we continued to explore Philly downtown the next day. Notice I didn't change my clothes. haha (I have a sound explanation for that, if you're interested in knowing, ask me. I'm not gonna say why here!)

It was my first time taking a picture with the famous Liberty Bell at downtown. Siang-ee and Robyn were flabbergasted at this shocking truth: "You mean u've never ever set foot here before?!" Excuse me, what's there to be flabbergasted about? lol. My school is so far away from downtown ok. It's not like I want to come downtown then I can come lor...

Before drawing a conclusion to the wonderful weekend spent with 3 amazing friends, we decided to try out some authentic Philly cheesesteak.
We ended up walking about 6 streets and 10 blocks just for Geno's cheesesteak. It was not only good, but damn HOT good!

The hot sauce made me cry so much. Where's my drink?!?!

Then we decided to do an experiment on Siang-ee as well.

3 seconds after his bite...


How come still no reaction

6seconds later...
Hot hot!

But then guys always act macho one la, so he didn't cry like me. hehe...

So what say you folks? Philly is fun, no fun??

Dedicated to my 3 lovely friends :)

今天不知道为什么，我突然心血来潮想用华文来blog。 可能是因为那天和某某人 (youknow who you are. hehe!) 讲了10分钟的长途电话， 令我想起了我们当年一起念书的时候 :)

友情啊，是很微妙的一种东西! 我和我那班猪朋狗友的友谊大概有12年了吧。我们从陌生人变成了朋友， 之后我们因各奔前程，到不同的学校念高中而少联络。可是啊， 我们的友谊依然坚固!

有人曾经告诉我，如果友谊深的话，不管失去多久的联络，一见面， 还是有说不完的话。 你说， 我们是否这样吗? I know we are :)

我应该说是相信友谊，至少在此时此刻我是很相信友谊的。朋友就像是我生命中的一盏灯，在我最需要温暖的时候送来温暖. 他们就像我的精神支柱，在我最颓废的时候给我勇气。谢谢你们!

所以呢, 不管生活多忙碌, 不管有多远, 我坚持相信朋友的一个问候、祝福的短信, 还是短短一句email, 就会给我带来莫大的感动. 你们知道吗?你们就是在默默的说, 这就是朋友, 这就是友谊啊！

友谊是需要彼此付出的，一个人单方面的付出是不够的，友谊需要两个人共同的付出才会有回报，才会收获到友谊。(hint hint KB, i want my souvenir from Australia. please courier over to me ah. thank you very much)

~The End of my 感言 :D

Unbox myself

Note to self: unbox myself.

What does it mean to grow up? Most adults tend to be constrained. It was as if sometime during their late youth, someone had drawn a box for them to step into. I think I'm starting to lead that kind of life, but I want to be a free-spirit adult! :D

I want to be in a box-free zone.

From today onwards, I shall try to unbox my world. lol. don't know if I will ever achieve it or not. I sooooooo self-conscious leh.

When raindrops keep falling on my head

As it continues to pour outside, I snuggle against my pillows and read a heartwarming novel about life :)

Nothing beats this feeling manz....

You know what, I'm starting to like the sound of raindrops against the roof :)

Be Thankful

On my way back from Chinatown today, I met an 80-year old ah gong on the bus. He was curious enough to ask me if I'm from China. When I said nope, he pressed on further and said, Korea?? Hello?? Do I look like I'm a Korean?!?! Hehehe, I don't really know how koreans look like, but the korean artists on tv all very very pretty. So I should be flattered! :D

So ah gong asked if he could sit beside me and I said yes. He sat down and started to tell me about his life story. Wa... what can I say manz?? This is not the first time ah ma and ah gongs have done that leh... The last time when I was visiting San Francisco alone, another ah gong sat down beside me and told me stories about his life... I think I have a friendly face. Hehe. Or do I look like I'm very approachable? Dunno la.

Anyhow, ah gong told me that this is his second year in Philly coz his daughters graduated from U penn, then started to work here and asked him to come over here to live with them. I could tell Ah gong was really happy to share his life experiences with me, since he was smiling all the way. All I could do was to nod my head and flash my million-dollar smile. Life is like a dream to him, since he never ever dreamt of living in United States. It's like living the American Dream. Well, this kinda brings back memories of my life as well... I've always wanted to study in Singapore and then go on to America. At least my wishes have been fulfilled, but life is still like a dream. I've done so much things that my parents weren't able to do, receive the best education that I could ever ask for, and live my life differently from my peers back home....

I know I'm lucky, so maybe it's time for me to visit the temple and thank god for everything. Sigh, the last time I went to the temple was like almost a year ago. Feeling a little guilty already. haha. Bo bian la, there's no temples (at least none that I know of) in Philly.

On a side note, I'm really excited for next Monday! Malaysia, here I come! :)

My Twin

You wouldn't believe what I just found online.

I read a tony and guy's haircut review and the reviewer has the same name as me! She/ He is also called vizanne. Well, at least it's not exactly the same, since mine has a hyphen in it.

But still.... I've always thought my name is special. No one, (repeat: no one!) in this whole wide world can possibly have the same name.

Sigh... there goes my hope of copyright-ing my name. Lol. just another random post.

Anyone wants to meet up with me??

I'm flying home 2 weeks from now!
Staying in Asia for 1 month. But going to HK for 1 week, so that essentially leaves me with 3 weeks to spend at both Malaysia and Singapore.

So... I've decided to visit friends at lionpura from 20th-24th August.
Anyone free to meet up with me?

Drop me an email puh-lease! Thankew very very muchie.

Busch Gardens, Africa @ Tampa

"Let's go to Busch Gardens, ok Vi-Zanne?"

My first thought was like.... Busch Gardens....??? To see flowers?? Haha. Turns out that Busch Gardens is a Theme Park with an integrated zoo. Needless to say, it was a total rip-off, but totally worth it given the amazing, exciting rides! I've always thought Jerudong Park @ Brunei is the best, but looks like I'm wrong. Busch Gardens is better!

Like I said, it has an integrated zoo, so visitors won't get bored walking from rides to rides. If the line is too long, there are so many other shows on as well for people to watch :)

As a starter, we sat on Kumba, which was OK, given that there weren't any dangerous-looking plunges.

After Kumba, I was psyhed and mentally prepared for Sheikra, the most exciting ride ever for me! The plunge was 90 degrees straight down and the best part was, right before you drop, they stop and let you suspend for a few seconds in the air. O-M-G. I tell you hor, that kind of feeling very scary leh. So I started to scream even before we dropped, and before I knew it, the free-falling feeling was so overwhelming and I lost all will to scream. lol.

Sheikra

Oh baby yeah... that's the plunge close-up.

That's me after the ride. my hair was so messy. haha.

Like all other theme parks, Busch Gardens has beautiful sceneries and well-maintained rides. I wonder how much they spend everyday just to keep everything in order?? Hmm.. that's a good question, coz I don't know =p

Quote Patrick, Amanda's friend:"You got into the egg?!?!?!" What's wrong with that? lol. I'm not that old ok?

Besides roller coaster, we sat on flume rides as well. The plunges on the flume rides didn't seem as exciting anymore, given that we started out with scary-looking roller coasters.

I "wet" my shorts after the ride. Haha.

Surprisingly, both Amanda and I were uber excited to be in line for the merry go round. That's why we're perfect for each other. We'll be such good roomies, Amanda! I've always wondered why kids like merry go rounds. Is it because it's so colorful and there's cheerful music playing along with it? I don't know. I can't remember why I used to like them as well. But life would be soooooooooo good if it's like a merry go round. Everything returns to the original point if you do something wrong. But you wouldn't grow and mature that way, would you?

We sat on the phoenix as well, better known as the pirate ship. It's oddly soothing to be on a ride like that, but I screamed anyhow to my heart's content. The 2 guys beside us were happpily chatting away even when we were suspended 180 degrees above the ground, but I was screaming and shouting till I lost my voice after that. Needless to say, I got weird stares from them. I bet they must be thinking: What is wrong with this Asian girl?? WHO CARES ANYWAY?? I like to scream, coz it's a good way to destress. If you don't like to hear me scream, get off the ride please. Bleh.

Our last ride was the Rhino Rally, which was a mini safari ride to look at the animals and jungle. Our jeep was floating on water at one point. HOW EXCITING!

And then it started to rain about 6pm. Thank goodness!! We were almost done with the rides. I was like a typical Asian, trying to scurry for the shade because I didn't want to get wet, but Amanda was like: Come on Vi-Zanne! Florida rain is warm, you won't get sick! So we walked through the rain for a good half hour. I had a small towel on my head, which didn't really help much and I looked like this after that.

But yesh, Florida rain does feel goooooooooooooooooooood :D

Fort De Soto Beach

The must-do thing when you're in Florida is to make a trip to the beach :)

I remember a friend told me that it rains a lot during the summer in Florida. Once he went to the beach, got all psyched up for a good tan, and then it started to rain cats and dogs. Poor him! Thank goodness lucky angel was on my side. It was bright and sunny the whole day until I left the beach, and I got to enjoy the gorgeous day out!

Fort De Soto was used for bombing practice by the pilots who dropped the bomb on Hiroshima during WW II, but it was never the site of any major battle. Despite this, what is left today are the fort and some canons.

Oh Amanda. She's so silly! haha.

After a short walk around the fort, we laid down the picnic basket and started to apply our sunblock lotion. Silly me, I forgot to apply it on my back, so it was really burnt at the end of day. My front looks normal though. Haha.

Well, given that I'm extremely suaku and haven't been to a beach for a really really long time, I insisted on being buried waist-down. So Amanda began her mission of digging a hole which didn't fit well, and my butt felt weird in it.

Uh huh, that's me!

Building sandcastles wasn't easy as well. I use to watch people build them and I've always thought: easy job. Why can't they build a bigger and nicer one?? It's easily said, but hard to achieve. Hmm... I promise not to bitch about them anymore next time. heh :D

Me and my really ugly looking sandcastle.

I got bored building sandcastles and attempted to draw something after that.

I think only Maths students would understand this. Lol. I was drawing a Venn Diagram of our lives from next semester onwards. Amanda's circle would intersect with my circle and there would be an overlapping section.

I know. I'm a Maths Freak.

Sunshine Florida - Disney World

Have you ever wondered why Disney World is the most visited recreational place in the world? Let me tell you why. It has four theme parks, two water parks, 23 (Repeat: TWENTY-THREE!) themed hotels, downtown disney and other dining and entertainment venues!

O

M

G

lol. Downtown Disney is enough to "kill" you.

Legoland is every kid's dream shop. I swear I could spend hours in that shop just looking at the Lego toys and models they have there. They have a tiny spot for kids to play at too! Do you know I'm capable of sitting down there, and I would seriously start playing with the kids if not for the limited time we had the other day.

Falcone

Needless to say, downtown disney has the most gorgeous scenery (of course mad-made la) DUH. Everything is so colourful! Colourful shops are a must to sustain my interest. heh. I think I'm a little ADD. bleh

So many designs to choose from. Kids nowadays are so spoilt. Tsk tsk...

OH oh oh!! and they have the most amazing shop with this:

Build your own light saber.

O-M-G. can you believe it? I would buy it if only I had all the money in the world.

Despite all these really cool stuff, there's one thing that puts me off. WHY MUST EVERYTHING BE MICKEY MOUSE?!?!!? I know disney is famous for mickey, but still...

wa.... cannot tahan manz.....

everything is about mickey mouse. cutlery, cups, teapot, apron, books, pen, gardening equipment. Even the drainer for your sink!! who in the right mind would spend so much on a drainer, and then dirty it when you do the dishes?

That's Disney Downtown for ya!

~The End~

Sunshine Florida - Part 1

My friends have been asking me, "So tell us when you're gonna stop travelling, Vi-Zanne".

Haha, sorry folks, I won't stop travelling coz I love seeing places! Haiyoh, I know I spend a lot on travelling, but life is too short to complain about stuff like that. I earned my money, so I deserve to spend hard. There's a saying: life is short, have dessert first. Having fun and enjoying life is like dessert to me. So friends, never leave the best things to the last! :)

My latest stop was Florida, partly because Amanda (Grace Grace) was there, so it's kinda like killing two birds with one stone - see sunshine Florida and visit Grace Grace.

I must say my vacations are getting better and better. It seems to me that my last one would be better than the previous ones :) Take this trip to Florida as an example... I thought my trip to Chicago was good, but Florida was even more awesome! Firstly, it was because of the hospitality that I received when I was there.... Amanda was an awesome host, her other friends - Joey, Patrick and Trevor (people I hung out with the most) were really nice to me as well! I felt like I was a part of their family, hehe, maybe like a long-lost distant cousin to them :D I can't wait to see them again when they visit Philly in Fall!

It took me a day to warm-up to Florida and the surroundings. The weather in Florida is warm and nice but humid, just like Malaysia! But I still like Florida. It has great places like Ybor City, which was the "hot" place back in its heyday. It was pretty quiet in the day, but the whole place came alive at night with all the pubs, clubs and skanky girls. haha.

Ybor City has some interesting shops with stuff like this:

Hats.

Shades.

And that's my new boyfriend.haha.

We spent 4th July- Independence Day evening at Ybor itself! Like I say, the place comes alive at night. So we happily picked Crowbar and watched Uncle Monsterface, Math the Band, Harry and the Potter performed. I must say the local bands were pretty good as they entertain the crowd with their jokes and music :) Ah ha! don't get me wrong, i didn't drink.... I'm still underage, and of course I don't break the rules. hehe.

Performers.

Picture time with Uncle Monsterface!

Harry Potter at 4th and 7th Grade.

Amanda never fails to amaze me with her various abilities, and that includes cooking! The story goes like this: Amanda wanted to get rid of the oranges and lime she had in the fridge, so she got together the ingredients. Then, she started to mix everything and came up with a new recipe. Tada! Sorethroat Chicken!! haha. why sorethroat? coz lime and honey were one of the main ingredients, that's why she called it sorethroat chicken. Amanda didn't stop using her creative juices just there. She even called the Asian-style chicken I had made: MAMA HO'S CHICKEN! what a name -_- just becuase i made my mummy's home-cooked chicken which didn't have a name.

Mama Ho's chicken! it's yummy ok?