Let the pictures tell the story

Firstly, I would like to wish every lady Happy Belated Women's Day!

Women's Day is quite okay maybe not quite but is a very big thing here in Moscow where one can see people selling flowers everywhere on the street. Aren't my roses beautiful?!

ONE L1FE WEEKEND

Alright, before I start typing away about this amazing weekend I had from the 27th Feb-1st March...ONE L1FE was an event organized by the Moscow Malaysian Fellowship with Marcus as the chairman. I think they had way too many directors for that evening.

Actually, the main event was on the 1st of March at Holiday Inn Sokolniki but they had some other programmes like the Leadership thingee on Friday night and the Combined Fellowship on Saturday afternoon both of which we had to attend kind of staright after class. I was actually hesitant to go when we were asked to attend the Leadership thingee on Friday because:

1. Our dresscode was semi-formal. I didn't know what to put on so I just wore something from Zara that looked like something someone would wear to work.

2. I had histology class the next day and I haven't touched my MCQs and I had my first MCQ test that Saturday.

I have to say, I enjoyed myself so much that night despite feeling tired and hungry at first but in the end I was all energised and well not hungry anymore. The bible did say that man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God =). I was so glad that I went. Looks like it was God's plan.

So that night I learnt 4 main things.

1. That faith,

2. That wisdom,

3. That integrity,

brings increase!

and

4. How to manage our finances once we graduate by making a financial vision pie which left me wondering if housemen really do get MYR 4000 a month. I don't think we'll get paid that much my dears.

Pastor Kevin telling those who did not attend the Leadership Meeting about the financial vision pie during the Combined Fellowship on Saturday afternoon after my histology class. Thank God I got a 5 for my MCQ!

On Sunday, the Malaysian Fellowship Worship Team lead the praise and worship during the church service. Unfortunately, us Yugo people missed the first part because our dear Robin woke up late and needed time to put on his suit. Eee...one day I shall be in the worship team. I don't mind being the lead singer ;).


MF worship team led by Geng Yan.


Pastor Kevin Loo preaching. Oh and by the way, he and his family were flown all the way from KL for this event. That weekend was so Malaysian! How I miss home. I loved it when he spoke because I gave 100% attention everytime without even trying.

So a few of us who didn't have jobs to do on that day went to Holiday Inn, Sokolniki after hanging out at McDonalds for a few hours after church when nobody had arrived yet. So we had the time to smile for the camera!

Ooo. It was almost time! Well being Malaysians, punctuality seems to be quite an issued. First Robin and now One Life. The event was supposed to start at 5 pm but we waited until around 5.20pm before we could move our feet from where we were standing.

At first, the area outside Sokolniki ball room was empty.

And then...

People started coming. Walking pass us, went down to put their coats and passed us again.

And then...

It was 5 already and almost everyone was here. This picture is so Malaysian. Makes me forget we were in Moscow. It was a Malaysian event out of Malaysia. A Malaysian event in Moscow.

So we waited...

Look at all the future doctors!


And we waited again...

We waited for so long that people had time to cam-whore!

And then...

Finally! We got to enter!

Opening Video for the One Life event.

The proper video can be found on the Moscow Malaysian Fellowship Website.

The night was filled with sing-along performances by MF Worship Team (I loved One life, One love and Sanctuary!), a rap performance by Dre the Nomad, hip-hop dance by Saved, Russian Rap by Light-Line (they were singing about money), Pop dance by some students and the highlight of the event, Pastor Kevin Loo's sermon which I thought shonuld be longer in order for the event to be effective. They should cut off the dances and let pastor speak for an hour instead of half an hour.

Not forgetting the lucky draws. The best lucky draw was the return ticket to anywhere in Asia sponsored by Emirates! The girl who got that was so lucky!!! Winning the iPod shuffles were not bad either.

They also had a presentation about the Missions they had to China and Indonesia last year and not forgetting another presentation about the future Missions they're going to have this summer.

All in all, the event could be better if they lengthened the speaking session.

Yugo hotspot with Pastor Kevin Loo. Amy wasn't there though!

Group photo!

That was the most awesome weekend I had here in Moscow so far. It made me feel brand new.

Check out 2 Corinthians 5.17.

Combined Fellowship for Pushkin, Yugo and Kuzminki Hotspots.

See mummy! I need to go gym-ing! It was held at an Indian Restaurant. Yummy.

All the ladies got a rose each for Women's day!

I had fun that night. Found out that the world is really getting smaller.

Here are some pictures of what could go wrong with foetuses. I saw pictures in the embryology text book in college but there's nothing better than specimens.

A polydactyl.

I want twins next time! So sorry for these twins.

Food Time!

We had Yee Sang on Chap Goh Mei! My dad sent it over even though I told him there was no need to.

Had Japanese food at Old Arbat Street on Valentine's Day. Can you see my Hello Kitty Chocolate egg?

Close up! There's a Hello Kitty magnet in the capsule within the chocolate egg.

Don't think they've got chilli sauce and soy sauce here? Think again. They've got curry sauce, olive oil, Thai chilli sauce, soy sauce and lots more here in Moscow. I don't know about the other parts though. Oh yea, they've got seaweeds for soup, dried mushrooms and all those China chinese products sold at Partizanskaya.

Yummy strawberry pie.

I made Tom Yam noodles! The fish fillet was so bony! So much for being a fillet.

Pumpkin soup. Reminded me of home. It's like Bidayuh cooking for your information. Only without the carrots. Oh and I'm half bidayuh half chinese by the way.

Chicken marinated with the preserved beancurd. I know it's weird but it was not bad. Amy thought so too.

Grilled chicken with curry vegetables. I just felt like eating vegetable curry. It was not bad. And I used my fingers to eat them.

I guess that's all for now.

Xoxo,

Ivanna

Hello again!

I've got an entry about what's going on here in Moscow coming up after my Anatomy control. So wait for me!

During the holiday...

Well, my holiday will be officially over tomorrow and the second semester will resume this Monday. Speaking of which, this semester, my only free day is Sunday! Okay, maybe half of Sunday and not the whole day because I'll have to go to church. Anyways, despite staying in Moscow for the holiday, I did have some fun =). So here I am, typing this entry while enjoying a nice cup of hot coffee on this cold winter night.

Some friends from Nizhny came over but I don't have the pictures of us with me but I do have pictures of the places we visited while they were here.
Oh! And we saw Lenin's preserved body in a glass coffin kind of like the one in Snow White.

Lenin's preserved body is in that building. Cameras, phones and well, the whole bag is forbidden. It's pretty cool in there with the guards guarding the body.

St. Basil's Cathedral during winter.

A Christmas tree and me! Look at me in the snow! My feet were frozen!

And then we went to see St. Peter.

Outside the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. The interior was very nice but too bad no photo taking was allowed in there.

The cathedral from where we were lining up to enter the art museum. Ate yummy sweet almonds while waiting for our turn to enter. Mmmm.

Look at what I saw while we were lining up. A big fat burung pipit!

Night view of the museum. OMG! I loved the museum. Too bad we couldn't take photos. And too bad we didn't have enough time to finish going around =(.

Meet Sechenov. The founder of MMA.

Now it's time for the food! I kind of forgotten to take a picture of some of the food that I should take pictures of.

Our "reunion dinner" for 5. It was a little too much for us to finish.

Hehe. What do you think of my cooking?

Celebrated Chai Li's birthday last night with a yummy chocolate ice cream cake.

Mmmm. Ate this just now when we went out for lunch. Bacon, olives, capsicum and maybe other stuff that I forgotten.

This too. Mushrooms, egg and herbs.

I guess that's it. Won't be posting anything for a while after this entry. So long!

Xoxo, Ivanna

I'm back with the brand new track!

First and foremost,

I was so happy I got to go online that I could cry! Thanks to Tang Jeat Liang!

Secondly,
I miss everyone!!! I miss all of you guys who are back in Malaysia right now. Life is so different without you guys here in Moscow. No Weng Kee to bully, no Alex and Robin to get bullied by.
给狗咬(gei gou yao)! Hahaha. I miss my friends back home, my family, my house, my room and most of all, the warmth in Malaysia. Just as long as it's not too warm. Well, then again it does get too warm in the down feather coat sometimes. Can't stand the warmth sometimes.

I lost the belt for my coat! I woke up late so I had to rush. I think I dropped it in the elavator =(

That was Vee Ther and I. Taken after Anatomy near the red square and outside Manesh.

Alex and I. I was trying not to put the peace sign for a change. So la la.

Weng Kee and I with the peace signs.

The pictures were taken the first few days it snowed.

Speaking of coats, I got this and I wanted to get it long time ago, for half price! I was lucky to wait.

I got this for half price too.

Here's another picture. Not me in my red coats but something else that's red. Just a nice random photo.

No, it's not mine. It's Alex's. Isn't it a nice picture? The picture is nice but the cut is not. Alex, Alex, tsk tsk tsk.

Thirdly,
I apologize for not updating. I just don't have the free time to go out and hang out at McDonalds to go online. Speaking of McDonalds, they have this really nice coffee here with ice cream in it, it's called Кофe глязе (kofye glyazye). My favourite!!!! I love coffee!!!

See the ice cream? Their ice cream is creamier and thicker and much much more delicious than the ones in Malaysia's. Makes me not want to eat the Malaysian one.

Mmmm. Delicious! I'm in love with coffee. I'm going to get a coffee machine one day so I can have fresh coffee for breakfast. Mmmm. The smell of freshly made coffee using the coffee beans. The aroma of the coffee beans are just aaah.

The Big Mac looks like a baby beside this.

This is the yummy Чикен мифик(chicken mifik). I don't like the onions though. And it's high in calories.

Robin 给狗咬(gei gou yao) was about to eat it.

Isn't the McDonald's pretty? This is the McDonald's near the Red Square and our Anatomy Department.

The hot chocolate at МакКафе(McCafe)is not bad. I still prefer the hot chocolate at Tom's.

Speaking of the Anatomy Department, here are some cool things also known as human body parts to look at.

This is the anterior view of the vertebrae. Of course it has to be vertical instead of horizontal. You can see the discus intervertebralis in between them.

Say hello! We thought it was a Chinese male. I used it because once you're dead, you are an it.

Ooooo. Look at the ear.

Mmmm. My favourite bone. The skull. I love the skull!

Hello manus! Beautiful isn't it? Not as beautiful as the skull though. The smell of formaldehyde still lingers in my head. Eww. Reminds me of myself pouring the formaldehyde into a jar filled with disected rats in ACMS.

Oh well, we travel a lot here. Like everyday. It takes at least half an hour to reach our Anatomy Department and at least 1 hour to reach our Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Latin Departments. The journey doesn't feel that long anymore. I took a couple of pictures of the prettiest metro I've seen.

They painted the exterior with different types of flowers. Every wagon is a different portrait of flowers.

There are paintings inside the wagons too. How cool is that? So artsy! I was impressed.

Well, mummy and daddy, I'm sure you're wondering what I've been eating here. They have China Chinese food here.

It was not bad. But my cooking is way nicer;)

Let's see some of my cooking alright?

Ham, cauliflower, carrot and potato broth.

Dumpling noodle soup.

Chicken coated with meat floss with pan-fried potatoes and carrots.

Chicken in mushroom sauce with mash potatoes, carrots and cauliflower.

Porridge with lots of ginger, crabsticks, seaweed and cabbage.

Fish pasta with cabbage.

I bought the tao sa thingee from Partizan and made tong sui!

Since it's the holidays, I have time to make breakfast! And I was hardworking enough to cook after we sent the guys off. I love milk. And eggs. And toast.

I love my eggs with ketchup. Mmmm.

You saw that right. Bananas. I like bananas now. Started eating them on the first day of the year during Vision09. I used to hate the smell. But obviously not anymore.

Kay, I don't put salt in my food most of the time because I didn't bring my salt shaker to Michelle's room and I cook there. There's nothing wrong with saltless food. Then again, I need to put some salt soon or else I'll get muscle cramps more often. At least I don't cook salty food ;) Right mummy?

Well, a picture is worth a thousand words. There are lot's of pictures here and not to mention words as well.

I'll update!

Xoxo, Ivanna

As Busy A Bee

My life is currently filled with studying. I was never as hardworking and as tired as this! That means that I won't be able to update this blog frequently.

What happened on the 29th of October? My birthday la! I can't believe some of you didn't wish me! So sad. But it's okay! Anyways, my first birthday here was a special one thanks to my friends who made my birthday, well, a birthday. Believe me, without them, my birthday would be just like any other day. Life has been hectic with controls to study for, especially anatomy. Phew. If only there are 36 hours in a day. The weather here is fine. Daylight saving just started last week so it gets dark earlier now. So now, Malaysia and Moscow are 5 hours apart.

I don't really know what to write. So maybe that's it!

xoxo

I'm back!

Privyet! Hello!

After three long weeks of being absent from my blog, I'm back! I've reached Moscow in one piece and oh boy have I been through things I never thought I'd go through.

Moscow isn't a place for a weak heart. Upon reaching here, we were bombarded with lots and lots of problems.

Firstly, our documents weren't complete. As in the translations weren't done so we had to pay Rb5800, divide by 7 to convert to Malaysian Ringgit.

And I just gotten my books last week when my classes and lectures started on the 1st of October. In a blink of an eye, three weeks has passed and winter will be here soon. The weather is nice now. Cool and it makes your cheeks feel cold, a feeling I love.

This place has changed me. I'm more independent, brave and the list goes on. You have no idea how tough it is here. By the way, I'm not living with Malaysians. My roommates are Russians but thankfully, my roommates are friendly but I don't have a proper place to study.

Don't expect to be greeted with a smile at the immigration counter at the airport if you decide to come here.

Everyday, it'll take me around 1 hour to 1 and a half hours to go to class depending on the subject.

Thankfully, the Metro here is cool! There is a train every minute so you'll never need to wait for long. There's a lot of walking to do here and I'm sure my stamina has improved!

My first breakfast in Moscow. It's a shauma. The pork one is nicer but you can't eat too much because it's very jelak-ing.

St. Basil's Cathedral

This is GUM. The posh-est shopping mall here. All the Louis Vuitton and stuff can be found here.

Near Lenin's burial place.

Well, I can't come online often because I don't have enough time. Haha.

Please do email me and I'll reply when I have the time.

Lots of Love, Ivanna

Is it goodbye? No, it isn't!

When I came back home from Godwinna's house + Aunty's house + Choice Daily + Brother's school, I saw a bouquet of carnations. I was like, 'Oo, which one of your girlfriends sent you these, za?', to my brother. Not like he has one.

Well, I was surprised to know it was mine. Looks like the Kuching Water Board people can't wait to get rid of me and chase me away from here. Why?! To save water? (OMG, I'm being lame.)

At least they spelt my name 'correctly'. It's I-V-A-N-N-A, by the way but it's okay. I get that frequently. One day, everyone will spell my name correctly. Can't wait for that day!

Two cards, one for me, one for my parents.

Carnations look good in pink, don't they? Maybe 8 carnations means wealth. Hmmm.

Nevertheless, thanks a bunch for the pink (thank God they are pink, me love pink) Dianthus caryophyllus @ Carnations!

Thank you to whoever these are from!

Looks like this will be my last weekend in Kuching and Malaysia. Well, I look forward to coming back for the next Rainforest World Music Festival! See you when I'm in Moscow!

Wish me a safe journey not just to Moscow but a safe journey throughout my life!

Hugs and kisses, lots of love,

Ivanna Chan

So much to do...so little time...

Malaysia just got smaller! I bumped into not one but two Kuchingites in Mid Valley, KL last weekend. First, I bumped into Kimberley and then I bumped into Rachael! I was just walking and then I saw a girl that looked like Rachael and it was Rachael so I was like, Rachael! See how Malaysia got smaller.

I've got less than two weeks left in Kuching and I haven't even started packing. Better start soon before I get weird dreams about me forgetting to pack or going to the airport unprepared like what I usually have before I start packing. That's why I pack kind of early if I can. I think I'll do some packing while waiting for Season 6 One Tree Hill Episode 1 and Season 2 Gossip Girl Episose 1 to upload. I know I'm a week late. I was busy last week but less busy this week. Hehe.

I love Chuck Bass! Muakzz muakzz.

Mathematics and Science in English in Malaysia

I think it's about time I pen down my thoughts but in my case it is more like typing out my thoughts.

The topic about the subjects, Mathematics and Science being taught in English in primary and secondary schools has been a topic of great debate ever since the first batch which was my batch first started learning these important subjects in English in Form 1. Why are the people still arguing on whether or not these subjects should be taught in English. In my opinion, it is best to ask those who are experiencing or had experienced it firsthand. Why won't the education minister ask the students too along with the teachers, local universities and parent-teacher associations? Well, it is the students who are learning and not the adults, who are arguing on whether or not Mathematics and Science should continue to be taught in English. Furthermore, all the references are in English so wouldn't it be a hassle to translate them to Bahasa Melayu. Are they 100% they would be able to translate them all and translate them on time, before the next edition is published?

If I was given a choice to choose to learn Mathematics and Science in either English or Bahasa Melayu, I most definitely will choose to learn these subjects in English. Those born in 1994 onwards are lucky because they got to study these subjects in English the moment they step into their schooling years. As for us, the first or sometimes we did feel like the experimental first batch of students who studied Mathematics and Science in Bahasa Melayu in primary school and then switched to English in secondary school, are thankful we got to learn these subjects in English despite the ridiculous diagnostic tests we had to sit for, in which some of the answers given in the marking scheme were wrong(probably a way to reduce our marks so that it'll look like we weren't good in what we were learning). Learning these subjects in English made it much simpler for us especially when we stepped into college where Mathematics and all the Science subjects are in English. To us, there was no switching to make so we had less difficulty understanding because we do not need to translate the terms.

Teaching these subjects in English does not jeopardise Bahasa Melayu as our national language. Seriously, I learned all the bombastic Malay terms from the BM magazines, BM newspapers and my BM tuition teacher and not really in school. I have to say that my written BM is 100% better than my speaking BM. Then again, if one is able to speak BM fluently, it doesn't mean that they know the real BM. A good example is my college, did you know they spelt telefon as telepon? It is such a disgrace.

I read a feedback sent to Star on Star Online about rural students who are reluctant to go to school because they are not able to understand Mathematics and Science because they are being taught in English and that they get more confused because their parents do not have a good command in English. Then teach the students English! Everyone learns English in schools. Don't tell me that rural schools do not have English as a subject because I'm sure they do.

I would like to highlight the last paragraph of this feedback."We must remember the majority of our schools are in the rural areas. We need to act wisely now before more of our children become victims of our education policy." Please wake up! That means the children from rural areas do not need to further their studies is it? Mathematics and Science are also taught in English in higher institutions so wouldn't it be easier to learn the whole thing in English all their lives than having to switch when they further their studies which will make it more difficult? What about in the past? A very good example is my grandfather who is a Bidayuh and raised in a kampung in the rural area of Sarawak but has a very good command in English. Did his parents know English as well? I doubt it. Did he skip school because of that? I doubt it. If the elders could do it, why can't the younger generation do it when life is not as tough as when the country was colonized?

Yes, BM is important but English is important too. English is needed for us students to further our studies and to succeed in life. The change from Mathematics and Science in BM to Mathematics and Science in English has been done so stick with it because this change is for the betterment of the younger generation.

I would like to close this entry with a paragraph in BM. Hehe.

Bahasa Melayu sememangnya bahasa yang penting bagi rakyat Malaysia kerana bahasa tersebut merupakan bahasa rasmi negara kita. Namun, kepentingan Bahasa Inggeris tidak boleh dinafikan. Pertukaran bahasa perantara dalam Matematik dan Sains adalah perlu supaya pelajar-pelajar tidak akan mempunyai masalah untuk memahami matapelajaran-matapelajaran tersebut apabila mereka melanjutkan pelajaran ke menara gading. Bahasa Inggeris merupakan bahasa ilmu yang diperlukan warga Malaysia untuk menimba ilmu dunia supaya tidak menjadi katak di bawah tempurung. Anjakan paradigma diuar-uarkan tetapi kenapa pula perubahan in menerima pelbagai tentangan walaupun perubahan in untuk kebaikan generasi muda? Perubahan ini adalah perubahan yang baik dan perlu untuk mengangkat martabat bangsa dan negara di persada dunia. Dengan itu, negara dapat menjadi negara yang cemerlang, gemilang dan terbilang seperti yang diinginkan. Walaupun saya mempelajari matapelajaran-matapelajaran tersebut dalam Bahasa Inggeris dan jarang menggunakan Bahasa Melayu, saya masih boleh menulis dalam Bahasa Melayu selepas tamat pengajian sekolah menengah. Saya berharap pihak-pihak yang terlibat membuat keputusan yang bijak demi kemaslahatan generasi muda kerana pemuda harapan bangsa, pemudi tiang negara.

My BM still not bad even after not using it for a long time. Thanks to PBK.

Happiness In Life!

Check out some of the stuff I'm bringing to Moscow with me. The highlight of this post is the colour pink ! Yeay! Haha.

This is my laptop, the HP Pavillion dv2000. My daddy insisted on an HP, so what more can I say? I shouldn't even have checked out laptops on my own because its HP forever. Unfortunately HP designers are not smart enough to make their laptops colourful except for the hideous Artists Edition which is a pain to my eyes as well as my dad's. The laptop comes with a remote control so I can press 'play' or 'pause' from a far when I watch movies. This little thing has a blue-ray drive, so don't mess!

Say hello to my WD, short for Western Digital, My Passport Essential. It's only 160 GB but it's enough. Secondly, it's pink! Pink is such a wonderful colour isn't it? For the right stuff of course. Not everything is nice in pink, for example, a house and a car will look horrendous.

My pink PSP. I'm not a game kind of person so I use this to store music and movies. It's a good companion. It's a good thing they invented one in pink.

Sick of pink? I'm not. Hehe. This is my pink Sony Cybershot T70. I'm still learning how to operate it because it's fully touch-screen.

I got this from The Spring a few hours after landing at Kuching International Airport. I needed a big bag and well, the pink was optional but since it's big and pink, it's a bonus!

This is the pencil case Joanne gave me last year. I didn't use it to Kepala Batas because it's Kepala Batas, an unknown place that people never bother knowing about. Don't bother going there also but if you have to, there is a hotel that is pink in colour there. Pink, you know! I think the colour would chase people away. There is also a pretty and big hotel there that has a water slide but I'm not sure if it's opened yet though. The name is Abedeen Resort or something so stay there instead of the pink hotel or stay at Seberang Jaya or something. There's no use looking good or having pretty stuff if you are there. The place will just make it dirty. Just wear house clothes and it's enough.

This is my dynamo flash light! It's cute isn't it? And it's a pink pig! This thing served me well and will continue serving me.

Hello Kitty earmuffs!!! It's Sanrio original okay.

Got it from Singapore last year along with my Hello Kitty purse that I've been using. Gonna change the purse soon because there aren't enough compartments for all the cards.

For your information, especially to Deepaah, hehe, Hello Kitty is not just for kids. Hello Kitty is a damn rich lady for everyone. That's why she's rich.

My dad came across this article on the TIME September 1, 2008, issue. Get one if you want to read it. TIME is available in most bookstores. This Hello Kitty article is on page 4.

Some of the interesting facts about Hello Kitty is that;

1. She actually is from London and not Japan. So Hello Kitty is British and not Japanese.
2. She doesn't have a mouth so that she'll be happy when you are happy and sad when you are sad. I like that!

I love Hello Kitty! And pink! Then again, I don't love everything pink. I dislike pink houses, cars, hair, the ugly pink, the pink version of my handphone and some of which I have forgotten.