The Student Life

Hi world,

This post is a reminder that I'm alive and kicking except that I'm all effed up from exams, assessments, performances, essays, you name it. It is the life I chose and embracing challenges isn't really my most favourite thing in the world. Nonetheless, I'll be OK after Monday. Not GREAT but OK.

C'mon Ashley. 

For the first time... In my entire life, that I've spent 7 hours writing an essay.. of 1,400 words. Yeah. I wasn't even talking to anyone while I sat in my living room, just grinding my brains and typing away about the Assumptions of Degenerate Music during the Third Reich through the case studies of Krasa and Hindemith as an essay for my Music History paper. I am so gonna remember that forever. Yay me. Also, I think I've lost a part of my brains in the process.

I've literally got only 1 week to do this essay before the deadline, as my essay question was constructed then. Today's breakthrough is finishing my draft for 2696 words! *throws confetti* Sometimes, no, not sometimes, but EVERY TIME I think about it, I really hate Msian Education System man. Why the hell do you not teach students to write proper essays? Bloody hell. Most of my teachers in primary school and secondary school taught me squat!! More often that or that I should skip school and study stuff by myself at home... or rely on tuition out of school. Which was how I got by. God, I never even bothered studying for my English exams then! -_- If it wasn't for A Levels, my writing skills would be even more screwed than it already is, as much as I hate to admit it. 

Rant over. Nope, not quite. Anticipating Monday, my essay is due then, together with a Music History journal, and also it's the day of String Tech Exam! Weehee. Just hope I don't mess it up like last year and ran home crying. Lol

Ok, the most exciting thing that happened this week was purchasing this baby. Cooking brown rice now is fuss free and it doesn't bubble all over the table! Yay!

I love brown rice. So much better than white rice! Chewy too. 

Recently did a shoot with British photographer Andrew Gibson and it was one of those portrait shoots. Nothing experimental or crazy, a rather nice and laid back shoot on a cloudy day in the Wellington Botanical Gardens. 

As you can see, it is autumn now. My favourite season! Not too cold and not too warm. Oh, and also I'm dressed in my everyday uni gear. Haha definitely had no stress in picking out wardrobe for this shoot.

I had one of the best times shooting with Andrew. Didn't feel like my pictures made my face look fat for once, he captured my angles quite nicely and the natural light certainly helped too! My pet-peeve is photographers when they take photos with flashes, washing out all my makeup and making my face look 2D.

Ugh ugh ugh. JUST NO. Finally, one that doesn't do that. :) 

Here's a special one he took of Doug and myself. <3 My favourite photo of us so far! ..which is not a selfie. Haha. Hard not to laugh though when we were, uh, posing. It's just not.... what we do. Posing like couples. Heck, even some people think we are siblings (wth?)!!

Anyway, it is one of those fabulous photos, taken during a candid moment even.

The next two weeks will be assessments and exams! After which is the winter break, which means I get to play Guildwars2 for the entire day again. :')

Throwback : Redbull event in 2013

2012 - Gotta love Oktoberfest!

2012 - with the girls at a Hennessy V.S.O.P Bottle Launch

In contrast to the posts that I used to write, it is pretty clear that my blog is going through a diary-fying process. Lesser events, lesser parties, alcohol, high heels (it's Wellington, what are you gonna?) and glamorous photos at happening places. I miss all of those. Nonetheless, I'm going down this different road, learning more about music and getting closer to my future. So... Life's still good! Though, I'll try to update as often as I can, since this is one of the things I do to keep my sanity. hehe

I'm living the student life!!

xxx,

Ashley M

Break

Easter break. I think it is much needed. I love breaks during Easter! 

We get 2 weeks off uni. This is the time to catch up on sleep, laze around, watch movies and game. Also, do the other things that I had not enough time to do the past few months.

Liiiiiiiiike.... deep conditioning my hair. I'm sure my hairdresser would  go "tsktsk" because I'm such a lazy girl when it comes to my hair. Guilty as charged. 

It's gotten super dry (always have been dry) and now I'm deep conditioning it with olive oil once a week for about 3 hours. It feels tamer and smoother after deep conditioning. Plus, my bob is growing out, so it's a bit high maintenance, ie. dents and funky bed hair when I wake up in the morning. Short hair problems.

Another thing would be breaking into my new shoes. Yeah - I don't like having blisters and my feet being pinched as I walk around in my new shoes in town or something... and end up limping or taking off my shoes and walking barefoot. It's usually not the latter. I've tried the Hairdryer + Socks hack. 

And it works!! Damn, I've broken into 2 pairs of shoes already in the span of 10 minutes. Yay. Now I can wear my shoes comfortably.

Basically, it's just wearing your shoes with the thickest pair of socks you own and then heating them up with the hairdryer for a few minutes while stretching your feet in the shoe or wiggling your toes. Easy!

I destress lots by cooking these days too. This is a snapshot of what our Easter meal was this year. Carrot soup, Shepherd's pie(s), Salad and to finish off, Apple cake! It's my first time making a 4 course meal simultaneously. Happy it turned out well!

Aside from the girly things, a trip to Auckland is in order, just about 2 sleeps away. I'm quite excited to go somewhere a little livelier and happening than quiet Wellington. I'll forever be a city girl. I miss KL & Singapore so bad. There's just lots to do, especially the events, clubs, music, shopping, food! I spend 90% of my time here at home & uni. Anyway, that's the sole reason I am here..

Been going through a rough patch lately and slowly coming back to doing things I love, like dancing and writing (which explains my hiatus), with the loving support of some people and Doug. One step at a time and so far, so good.

Looking forward to Auckland!

xxx,

Ashley.

Back here and again

It's been a week since I've made my return to Wellington with the time to sit down and the energy to write. It's summer now, and very quiet compared to the KL life. Nonetheless, the first few days back here was hard on me, as there were so many things that needed to be attended to immediately ; right after arriving to my doorstep from the airport. I guess there's just no rest unless every thing is done, despite the expected heavy feeling of homesickness and inevitable jetlag.

The airport gang ^

I've had the most eventful 3 months back in KL. It wasn't countless parties or events this time, but mostly family time. Being abroad has made me value my family even more, and I've been given the chance to come back and spend more time with them for 3 months. The memory of arriving in humid & hot KL is still very fresh in my mind. Into the welcoming arms of both my parents at the airport, Doug included. Revisiting that memory makes it feel like it was a very long time ago that that happened, especially when memory of the recent airport day at Changi Airport has sorta overwritten that. 

My first visit to Shaun Cutler was quite a way to start my return to KL, and then a few weeks ago, I left Shaun Cutler again, and KL, this time with a daring bob. 

Raymond and I

I've had quite a number of shocked reactions from friends and family ..my dad actually didn't notice it until I told him that I cut my hair. LOL. So typical. I was quite scared to cut my hair this short... The last time I had my hair short was when I was 10 and boy did I regret looking like a mushroom for the whole year then. Raymond assured me that it would be much much different this time, and I trusted him.

It turned out well. It's growing now and I like it much better than my long hair in the wind. That way, I get less of the splitting headache I used to get in Wellington when my hair was in a heavy ponytail. Felt like my scalp was gonna tear off my head.

Other than the hair, my most recent do was Valentine's Day with Doug. There are a few types of reaction to V Day ; the anti ones, the must-have-roses-and-the-whole-shubang type, the forever alone ones, and then there were the ones who simply think that V Day is a marketing scheme for restaurants to jack up their prices for dinner and florists' big day to earn lotsa moolah. Doug and I fall under the latter. V Day shouldn't be the only day you treat your significant other special, blablabla. Despite that, he insisted to come visit me in KL that weekend, which was pretty sweet of him. We exchanged gifts, and had a royal clash of gifts. Tell me if Superman trunks and a Supergirl T shirtfrom DC Universe are not more than a coincidence. Apart from a pretty handbag.. Doug has good taste. I never once rejected his taste in clothes/bags/shoes... That's what you get when you've a guy who loves to shop. Maybe that's why we both get along so well. We both have equal amount of shoes at home & in NZ. Haha!

Decided to hangout that day anyway, taking him to a few of my favourite spots in KL. We both love coffee, so I thought I'd introduce him to Podgy and the Banker's Flat White. Yum. 

After that, we went over to Publika, where we had lunch at S.Wine. No price hikes for lunch so it's all good. I've only been there once, and I thought the food was fantastic. Since we weren't too hungry, we had the meatball spaghetti & the pork bun. Pretty sure the names were fancier than that. Lol

S.Wine

Salivate to this.

Such sexy pork. Get into my mouth. Now.

(Ok very silly of me to forget to include the meatball in the picture but they did exist!)

Ever had 2 kinds of meat in one meatball? I loved how one meatball was the size of my fist!! It's an understatement if I said this gives the Ikea meatballs a run for its money. Sidetracking here, but Ikea meatballs are so yucky nowadays. Had some recently with my family and they looked horrible. No thanks. I'd like to tapao a packet of chicken rice to replace that please.

Foodgasm. That pretty much sums up our meal at S.Wine @ Publika. The best part was, we didn't leave the restaurant overly stuffed. Oh yeah, the B.I.G group gifted us with "Edible Body Paint" as a Valentine's Day thing.

Didn't know what to make of it until I decided to dip my finger in it and put it into my mouth. Chocolate. I'll just continue doing this Doug until we get home. Haha

Spent the evening with Kim who's on the hunt for her futsal shoes, and then at night hanging out some more, watching movies and having a greasy Chinese supper. Best Valentine's Day ever? No fuss, it was perfect like that. 

Oh! And another surprise on Valentine's Day this year was that I was featured in the Malay Mail under the Weekly Runner section, many thanks to my mate Kelly Siew who recommended me to them for an interview. <3 Love you girl. Oh yes, she's also in the papers for reviewing a Nepalese restaurant. How awesome is that! Being in the same newspaper as your buddy and on the same day too! Heh. Once in a lifetime. Her website is www.kellysiewcooks.com . She blogs as well as shares awesome recipes on her site. If you're a Paleo dieter, you'd enjoy her recipes for sure.

That was a few days before I said all my goodbyes to my extended family and friends in KL and made the flight to Singapore for the next couple of days before flying off to NZ. I had so much fun with my cousins and their kids over in SG for the few days. Catching up, shopping and playing with the kids ; it was so good.

 It was especially good to see my mom take a break and enjoy herself this holiday. 

Mom enjoying the famous bread ice-cream at Orchard Road.

And Miss Piggy Kimmy.

Met up with Doug and his family in SG and did a bit of shopping ourselves. 

Before it was time to leave, there was the huge fuss about luggage. ALL of us spent a good 2.5 hours packing strategically...and still exceeding the baggage limit. It was too much. However we managed to fix this problem and all went smoothly. I had to give it to Doug's mom who did a fantastic job at packing. 

Missing you guys and dad and Tito.

After a long, but comfortable flight with Singapore Airlines, we're back in NZ. Quiet and cold, but ready to take on what this year has to give us. 

Till the next post,

Ashley Mah.