Few Slopes X Yet Smooth: Day 1 of School

they said ups and downs are norms of life

that’s so true,

even for a single day

the cycle applies                     

 

6.30 a.m. Smile

I woke up on time

even got the time to plaid my hair

 

6.30 a.m. Sob

there are two pimples on my nose

they hurt, but at least nose is a acne-porn area

there’s another even more “erupting”

on the border line of my lips and face

it is making my lip swollen

 

yesterday my housemate even asked

if I just had chili

I remember now, part of it

must have been contributed by the

black pepper udon I had yesterday

black pepper is my natural lips balm

always making them swollen red

 

7.30 a.m. Sob

of all things, I forgot to buy bread

it’s okay, let this be the on-diet week

 

8.00 a.m. Sob

headed down to the office, still closed

and there are already people waiting

 

8.15 a.m. Smile

can actually use the travel card for March

for the last 3 days of Feb

 

my rental was due 7 days ago

thank goodness

the person allows the “early-bird” 10% off discount

 

9.00 a.m. Smile

got registered pretty fast

although the first lecturer who I approached for help

made me waiting

because he said they were expecting us

to be back for registration for the past 2 weeks

okay.. hello

who will purposely come back just for registration

and anyway it will only take minutes

 

9.15 a.m. Sob

bumping into the guy I like with his gf

of all people, please disappear

and I bumped into his gf again later..

 

9.20 a.m. Sob

went registry to collect the prize

but it will only be available after 2p.m.

 

9.30 a.m. Smile

just hanged around, chatting to manager

I don’t have internet back in hostel, anyway

 

10.00 a.m. Sob

analyzing my time table

Monday is started at one,

because the morning class belongs to the other majors

but… fri is until 6 p.m. for everyone

I saw the sem 1 timetable

it is empty on Fri

 

11.00 a.m. Sob

the wait is getting tiresome

because internet connection was quite weak

 

12.50 a.m. Smile (fake)

went class, saw people I don’t wanna see

and talked, after so long

I wish Her Highness is here

 

1.00 p.m. Sob

it’s that bloody lecturer

which was doing much harm to my CGPA last semester

heard she is going to teach us again

and worst of all,

it’s law that she is teaching this sem

 

2.30 p.m. Sob

thank goodness it’s over

but her tutorial session on 4 p.m. is still on

another long wait

 

2.35 p.m. Smile

finally dissuaded her from conducting the tutorial

because there are only 5 of us

who are supposed to attend this session

2 of them are new classmates

hurray.. finally meeting some new people

 

2.37 p.m. Sob

back to the bursary again

the counters were still empty

then got to know they have already switched the

collection venue

damn.. what are the notice boards still doing there

and collection can actually be done all day long

 

2.45 p.m. Smile

got my book vouchers

they smell better than money

saw “pick-table” stealing pen from the table

what the hack, that’s public property

and with your 200 bucks vouchers

you can actually buy tonnes of pens

 

2.50 p.m. Sob

caught a bus

it was all packed up

somebody offered me a seat

but it’s okay, I am fine standing

 

it was pretty bumpy

and I can’t bear to see the two guys sitting

with their super duper huge headphones blasting

I can hear their music pretty clear

are they having hearing impairment or something

 

3.00 p.m. Smile

I must be making very grumpy face

while observing the headphones dude

because someone else offered me seat again

oh my.. okay

but somehow felt like apologizing to the first guy

what’s my problem, rejected his offered

while accepting the second

 

3.12 p.m. Sob

asked to show the “security access card”

I didn’t have it with me

that’s for people who come back late

and gates are all locked

you have to tap your card to unlock the gates

why are they asking for this

during broad day light

 

imagine carrying this bulky thing

to school everyday

was allowed to enter, name written on Visitor List

it was so funny,

under the Remark column

someone actually wrote I forgot

 

arrrrgh, I should have just written

I don’t know and reject the implementation of this

 

3.30 p.m. Sob

can’t seem to find the egg white in the fridge

I saw it in the morning

and just yesterday I lost a pair of prized flip flops

I don’t  believe people would wanna steal egg white

but disappearance is still disappearance

 

3.35 p.m. Smile

do not be bothered to do anything

if I prepare new one

who knows tomorrow it will go missing again

 

cooked myself a bowl of noodle

feeling hungry is the easiest thing to ruin mood

 

and had another 4 pieces of cookies for snacks

that’s the problem..

I enjoyed after meal snacks

 

4.30 p.m. Smile

writing up to this line

time for a quick nap

 

6.30 p.m. Smile

lovely nap, followed by a shower

 

7.00 p.m. Smile

off we went to Sunway

 

8.00 p.m. Smiles

finally decided to have Korean food for dinner

 

I have never really eaten

any authentic Korean meal

but of course I still know to order Kim Chi soup

sour and hot.. 

and still pretty healthy

 

9.30 p.m. Embarrassed Smile 

it’s well know fact that I don’t like Hello Kitty

but I no longer hate her as much

since there are Kitty fans around me

so I started to notice Kitty merchandises

and you bet how torturous it is

get excited for awhile whenever I saw Kitty

then wait a minute.. I don’t really like her, do I?

of course not

 

anyway I bought this, as a souvenir

they can even glow in the dark

and I am really jealous of Kitty fan, sometimes

 

 

9.59 P.M. Smiles… Sob

that’s the whole house C-1-10

it was Cat’s last night in here

she graduated last sem and is moving out tomorrow

means it would be pretty difficult for us to

hang out further away, without a car

 

10.30 p.m. Smile

reached home, just hanged around

 

11.36 p.m. Tight Smile

my face is feeling pretty tight

because the mask is drying up

I found where my mask ingredient went to already

was treated as trash, during fridge cleaning

it’s okay, at least I know it does not

disappear mysteriously

 

time to get back to my novel

before zZz.. nitez

Silent Lamb X Anti-social Camp: They Think I Am…

What Most People Think I Am

I get excited and soon go insane

when it comes to shopping

but actually I am not a shopaholic

my real identity is a Market Surveyor, instead

I take stocks of everything from

ad campaign, shop display, what’s hot and not

practically all the things to do with shopping

but I don’t really shop *blushing* 

I study shopping

 

What They Also Think I Am

I am bad at socializing

especially among strangers

 

When They Started Talking to Me, They Think I Am

iPad freak

because when I don’t really know how to response

or don’t feel like responding during conversation

I will start burying my head into my iStephru

and get busy with everything else

but talking

 

What Lecturers / Boss Think I Am

I don’t really like to talk in class

or communicating with lecturers after class

those old-school quotes which sound

“empty tin sounds the loudest”

the one something something potato:

“diam-diam ubi berisi”

in the long term, your works will prove your worthiness

What My Relatives Think I Am

I wear specs most of the time and appear ugly

I don’t have a single gorgeous cousin or what

just let their impression remains where

it was ten years back

nerdy, cowardly,ugly

that’s this stupid aunty of mine

who advised me

• you should start wearing make-up
• you should go out more
• you should go travelling
• you should start dating
• you should dress up more

I just keep nodding and nodding

whatever…

 

What My Housemates Think I Am

I cook very healthily

no oil, no meat, no flavourings

actually I do eat unhealthy stuffs too

especially when nobody is seeing

a real vegan does not struggle with

weight management problem    

 

What My Enemies Think I Am

all I can say is, I am sorry

especially him, him and her, and also her

oh my, I think the list is quite long actually

you know who you are

millions apologies

 

What My Manager Think I Am

Cantopop and movie industry and all the HK gossips 

that’s the biggest interest we share in common

since she reads little Mandarin

I am her “Wiki” to all the info she needs

and we spam each other quite a lot on Wyman Wong

who knows… why?

and we make a good pair of backpackers

 

What Her Highness The Queen Think I Am

although I am not good at socializing

I spend a lot of time talking to this single person

like after classes or on free days

we spend hours talking and talking.. mostly gossips

and catch the last bus back 

she told me this, once

I am the only person she trusts around the university

the bond is strong, since the beginning

in fact, she was the first person who talked to me

people come and go,

one single trustworthy friend will do 

 

 

What My Dad Think I Am

in a parent’s heart

a child will always remain a child

that’s why you can cry like a baby

without having to tell why

and your laugh is more than enough

to make him happy

 

What My Mom Think I Am

too lazy too messy

too much clothes and shoes.. and toys and everything

but always can’t find a suitable one

when it’s about time to go out

but that’s the problem

tend to become lazier and messier at home

because mom is always there

and whenever away at home

of course I know how to take care of myself

and finding clothes is not a problem

because it doesn’t has to go through

the censoring approval stage

 

What My Sister Think I Am

since we can’t clique

I found a balance point in our sibling-relationship

it’s more like employer-employee

and I always address her as my boss

eg, massaging for her, shopping companion

and among others are how I earn extra pocket money

 

What My Niece Think I Am

she is always the hero

then I am the bad antagonist

and pretend injured is what I do the best

 

but I admit that the dinasaur-ish character

does exist in me

whenever I am in a very bad mood

we shout into each other faces quite a lot

but soon, we will be the best friends again

 

 

finally

don’t get my personality and my attitude twisted

because

my personality is me,

and my attitude depends on you

Great Leap X Fast Reap: Smurfs’ Village Tips

Blue Fellows X Green Melons: Smurfs’ Village

is quite a high-hit post on Stephysiology

even until today

 

therefore decided to compose another post here

a few user-friendly tips for the

rookies players of Smurfs’ Village

 

use the tips at your own risk

I feel like sharing

because I really have come a long way

this is the first ever game I downloaded

since Nov 2010

and am still an active player right now

 

well, not that I own a featured village or something

but for past few months

before the recent update to Level 45

my village has been static

because it has achieved the maximum level

earned XP doesn’t contribute to anything

but actually the XP was being stored

and whenever there’s an update

your XP will be automatically credited in

 

Tip #1 Never let strangers messing up your village

it happened to me twice

where I lost a couple of Smurfberries (quite a couple)

because the tablet fell into wrong hands

you know how precious the berries are

 

and they were using the berries

to harvest petty plants like Strawberries

all I could do was to keep quiet

because you can’t really scold or ask for compensation

and can’t even explain how much does it cost

anyway, people can just get away like that

“take it easy, it’s just a game”

 

dang.. this was one of the culprits

caught red-handed

I thought he was quite familiar with the game

but that’s something I never expect

probably the village he has been playing

didn’t even have a single berry left

that’s why he was happily wasting them away

it’s okay.. it’s okay..

 

Tip #2 Practical Ways to Spend Your Smurfberries

earning, saving, spending

they go hand-in-hand

when you have like 30 Smurfberries

it’s about time to consider spending them

 

it depends on your motivation

if you want hot chick or cuties 

building a house for Smurfette or Baby Smurf

is not a bad choice

but don’t expect them to contribute much

in terms of golds and XP

 

if you are an artist or a designer

invite Painter Smurf to your village

since he can paint all the fences / benches etc

with whatever colours you like

 

but if you are looking for something

which will provide long-term aid

it would be Farmer Smurf

he makes crops around his house worth more

but don’t expect much, again?

since there would be less than 10 patches of land

which benefit from this bonus

and the increment is pretty low

 

but the best thing he can do

is to harvest all crops

with a single click

it works perfect

especially when your crops are

on the verge of withering

 

“Plant All Crops” is another wonder

Farmer Smurf’s can do to your plant

but prepare to spend an additional 15 Smurfberries

for an Farmer Smurf’s “hidden” update

before he is ready to do the job for you

Tip #3: Smurfberries Sales

it happened once in a blue moon

updates and items are offered at a lower price

at fewer Smurfberries, I mean

 

two weeks back

Tailor Smurf,

the one who sew pirate, scholar etc hats

super fanciful one, for fellow Smurfs 

was offered at 15 Smurfberries

instead of 30

wow 50% off

 

but it was damn frustrating

because you need to have 30 Smurfberries

which is the full price

in order to qualify for the discount

in order words

they want you to pay in full amount

then offer the 50% rebates

and the best thing of all

I had 27 Smurfberries in my village

 

then later on

I spent 20 Smurfberries at the next sales period

on Farmer Smurf

who originally worth 25 berries

 

not the best buy

but since I was planning to hire him,

quite some time ago

it doesn’t really matter

 

actually my ultimate aim

is still to get Tailor Smurfs

and grab all the fanciful hats

for my hardworking villagers

 

Tip #4 Long Term Financial Investment

when you proceed to higher and higher level

money starts rolling in like dirt cheap

buying decorations would be good

but your village will soon run out of space

 

butterfly is a good investment

• 20 golds and 60 XP / 2 hours
• looks good, because it is forever flipping wings
• only take up one square of space

 

my butterfly farm

I call this part of the village

S.I.P. Smurfs’ Industry Park

 

Tip #5 Lagging Issue

I used to encounter this quite often

maybe because my tablet is the old first-generation

it is either lagging and causing wrong clicks

or I can’t enter the village at all

exiting to the desktop, automatically

 

switching off all the other running apps

or restarting the whole system

both didn’t work

 

the only solution is to

turn of the Wifi

everything was solved, immediately

 

but I must say that

the apps developer has been doing quite well

in constantly updating the game for the better

 

eg, now it can run simultaneously with music player

before that,

somehow feel too lazy

first, return to the village to harvest crops

then have to turn the music on again

before putting down the tablet

now just stay in the village

while enjoying the music

thanks a million,

from a multi-tasker like me 

 

Tip #6: Night Mode

I hate night mode

the night falls after 7p.m.

everything turns dim

doing much harm to my already-spoilt eyes

 

all we get to earn at night

is a 400 XP on a daily basis

for comforting Scaredy Smurf

not worth it, for the discomfort

 

just turn it off at the Option column

24 hours sunny village is still preferred

 

Tip #7: Perseverance is The Best Policy 

you may start late

but as long as you strategize the planting

at your own pace, on a constant basis

your Smurfs’ Village will flourish fast

 

and what you earn

although they are not real monetary value

or eligible crops

(that’s what my dad always says,

I am working way too hard as if the melons are eligible)

 

somehow it brings loads of satisfaction

to see your Smurfs’

hanging around when they are free

working hard when they are at farm

 

and harvesting the juicy, colourful crops

yum yum yum…

drooling over my favourite vegetables at fruits,

oopps…

 

day in day out, 

nothing is more exiting that a seasonal update

 

Happy Smurfing,

all the Captain Smurfs out there

Long Blazer X Mini Jacket: Chambray Addicted

the term “Chambray” has appeared

quite frequently in my shopping report

yet, I have never own any

chambray tops in my wardrobe

 

and you’ll see why

last year, or since two years back

love-at-many-sights with the Remake It dress at Roxy

can’t wait any longer for discounts

when I finally decided to buy it

there was only one and only piece left, over-sized

how does the Remake It dress look like 

 

last month

another Remaking Chambray attempts failed

wanted to get my whole family to buy it for me

on several occasions / different malls / different target

and it just went on to fail, fail and fail

 

I thought I gonna come back for it

after sometimes

noticing that there are still quite some stocks there

but when I returned two weeks ago

it was all sold off

 

okay enough of the grandmother’s stories

let the bygones be bygones

the hunt for chambray shall go on

 

last week we were chatting

my manager was eyeing for her red blazer

red and blue.. are totally two different characters

but they look good together, especially on flags

that’s the reason we clique so well, I guess

 

while ordering her lil’ red blazer

she got this for me too…

awwww..

but of course, stock delivery to me

will only take place months later

 

from the photo, it doesn’t look denim-ish 

but from the product description:

Figure-fit chambray jacket

with pockets at front with a flap. Lined.

 

zooming in the comment…

have to apologize to my manager

because the promise has already been broken yesterday

 

it was this one that I bought yesterday

 

spotted it on Monday morning

last Monday shopping with my boss

before the school starts

saw it in the mini vintage shop

unfortunately, my boss is a anti-chambray person

too dirty looking, in her view

 

but I have already learnt the lesson

since our clothing taste is totally different

going out with her,

is more about eating

try to collect some pocket money then

grab targeted items some other day

 

purposely conducted another marketing survey

one day later, with my fellow marketing surveyor

I don’t want this to become

the third chambray top I have missed 

 

at first I was hesitating between this

and another design,

with a “Calis” logo embroidered on there

if I remember correctly, Calis sounds like a pill,

that same category as Viagra

no… sorry, now I realized that is Cialis

Calis is actually a beach at Turkey

oh my, how embarrassing

it’s okay… this is quite cute

and Trailwood Elementary school does exist for real

 

somewhat mad about clothes

“Assembled in Mexico of U.S.A.”

enlighten me on what does that supposed to mean please

 

mission done, more browsing around

I really like flats like that

feel and look comfie enough

but the problem is I don’t really wear them

the thin soles are making the flats really light

but not too sure if they are durable

these are quite cute, right

 

that’s this waffle combo in A&W

the most sinful supper ever

waffle X root beer X curly fries

 

my mom actually complained that

I carried the smell of “frying oil”

when I got home

expected,

whenever I got back from fast-food store

 

you see,

how I will never

go out with smoking / drinking lots

because it can never escape their noses

 

but shopping loots escape easily all the time

since the loots do not stink at all

and more importantly

“no thanks, I don’t need a plastic bag”

just stuff everything into the big cloth bag will do

 

it would be weeks or months before

the loots are ready to

“come out of the closet ”

 

“New clothes, again??”

nope they are pretty old already

I forgot how much it costs

I bought it with heavy discounts, I think

Stephelle’s Kitchen: Dreamy Creamy Soup

one reason why i always choose pizzeria 

when it comes to dining-out

because i enjoy the soup, very much

 

from a Chinese-cuisine based family

we have soup all the time

just like rice is our staple food

whenever there’s rice there’s soup

 

but of course

the kind of soup we make

is totally different from

the one on Western food menu 

 

not to say that Chinese soups are not tasty

i like it

and will start missing it

especially those days away from home

 

back to the Western soup

i have been trying to replicate its creaminess at home

but without much success

 

Campbell soup is not the answer,

corn starch is definitely not the answer

i want the dripping thick flow

where the warmth can be felt in the air

 

finally found the answer

from a magazine tv show last week

 

here you go,

minus the cream, the oil, the MSG

all you need is a blender 

 

Step 1: boil your ingredients

mine was potato, onion and cauliflower

 

Step 2: when the ingredients are softened, let the mixture cool down

then pour it into a blender, blended into puree form

 

Step 3: put the puree onto stove again, to reheat it

add flavours / toppings to your liking

eg: black pepper powder, carrot cubes, spring onion, parsley

 

my dream soup came true

i had 2 bowls for lunch,

dipping French loaf into it

wait till i replicate the garlic toast

then i wouldn’t have to head down to pizzeria again

 

once again

minus the cream, the oil, the MSG

all we need is a blender

to make some creamy soup at home

 

and best of all

we are at liberty to experiment with any favourite vegetables

or like me, with what ever found in the fridge

eg, the potato and cauliflower were pre-boiled

leftover in the fridge

 

creamy soups:

• mushroom soup
• corn soup
• pumpkin soup
• sweet potato soup

 

desserts:

• red bean (azuki bean)
• green bean (mung bean)

 

at least i can think of five different kind of soups right now

as long as you have got a blender in your kitchen

Eco-friendly X Arty-farty: Simply.Origami

“recycle your love”

rough prototype,

made from used cardboard

 

first ever attempt on Origami

used to be envious of

those Origami-pro

who can make stars, frog, heart

 

you know

it was really irritating

when you ask

the person will tell you,

that’s real easy

but frog ended up limping but not leaping

because either the person was

too fast in demonstrating

or you get awkward with your stupid fingers

which didn’t get things right

even after several “rewind”

 

till I discovered this apps, recently

has been “conducting” origami lesson for my niece,

although it was the first time I was trying, as well

 

How to make Origami

available on Apps Store / Android Market

free of charge

including extra lessons for download

 

steps by steps demonstration

including 3D animation

on how you turn and fold the paper around

rewind as much as you can

without getting embarrassed or cursed at   

 

this is a barbarian hat, supposedly

but you know

my mom was kinda against me making all these

because in Chinese.Taoism belief

these paper objects

are burnt as offerings

for the deceased, ancestors or you-know-what

 

oh come on,

so we switched to making mini-sized

hats and dresses for the dolls

and the huge hat was  used as a tent for their camping

 

and actually

I planned this as a mini surprise for my mom

last-minute back off

due to.. SUPERTITIONS

okay.. it’s respect actually

and they always say

you would rather believe,

before crying over spilt milk

 

the Apps didn’t have this lesson

but I modified it…from

the bouquet is supposedly a flower petal

make a couple of them and staple together

then you’ll get a blooming flower

that’s a little time consuming

so, I got a bouquet instead

 

it’s okay

this is supposed to be a prototype

it would be a great idea

to pick fresh flowers and

arrange them in my D-I-Y bouquet

or make some proper paper flowers

since paper flowers last longer than fresh one

but not for my mom, really

since she would start thinking,

flowers are meant for cemetery-visit

 

I know right

it’s kinda tragic

to make myself hearts and flowers

for Valentine’s Day

I gave “my hearts” to my parents

pasted on their shirts for quite awhile

and besides my family portraits,

dad’s Lin Dan and Bruce Lee posters, as well

love in all around the house

 

I will probably switch to making more cheerful crafts

like leaping frogs and Mr. Penguin 

this is my Tommy Duck,

or is it a swan,

quite a ugly, fat duckling here

thank goodness the Chinese Taoist

do not burn roasted paper duck for praying

 

and yeah

I made a windmill last week

but it can’t really turn yet

unless I blow it then manually give it a hand

must work on the mechanism, still

ahem.. complicated engineering work is involved here

 

what a fun activity for me and my niece

on a Saturday morning

instead of drowning in front of the TV

before she heads back home

 

look of the day

weekend look for the weekly home-going trip

somehow everything doesn’t go matching

but who cares

that’s the advantage of being a kid