I just finished browsing through Nizam's blog, it's got food photos in it. Barbeque photos to be exact. I love barbeques, just thinking about it is making me hungry :-( But never mind, I had a barbeque almost every other week during the past two months I was still in Loughborough.

I'm back in Brunei, mind you, I didn't tell very many people I was coming back. I had the biggest intention to surprise my mum, dad and sister. I got back on Tuesday morning and it was Monday morning (UK time) that I called my house to tell my maid to tell my driver to pick me up at the airport and make sure she doesn't let any of my family know that I'll be coming back. When Fol and I eventually arrived at the airport, he wasn't there. It turns out my sister decided to go out that morning and since the driver was not suppose to spill the beans, he followed her instructions to drive her to school. In the end, I had to text my sister to tell that the driver needs to go to the airport to pick something up. She calls me up and the conversation goes like this:

sis: You can't do that! I'm using him.
me: I'm at the bloody airport Ella.
sis: Oh!! Okay. I'll come and pick you up then.

So that was that. My sister now knows I'm back in Brunei when she specifically told me not to come back on the day of her exam (she was having her last exam that night). She hates surprises.

I rang daddy to tell him I was back and told him to pick me up when he goes to pick mum up from work. She usually gets off work at about 5:30pm but she never came out until about half past six. I took great pleasure in seeing her face and her squeals of delight in seeing me. Hehe, never has my mother ever hugged me so tightly. I'm glad to be home though. My mum spent the whole of last week trying to get me to tell her when I was coming back. I kept telling her I was only going to be back in July.

But I'm back. So that's what should matter.

Love,
yas.

XX

With Syaheir

DSC_0717, originally uploaded by mustanir.

Had a day out with the LufBru people on Saturday, I called it "Snack Out on Saturday", another one of my lame outing name ideas. We had a picnic I planned out at Queen's Park. Initially we planned to meet up at the park but the sky turned dark and the weatherman insisted that we were going to get heavy showers in Loughborough.

Luckily for us, it didn't rain and the sun was shining brightly .. convincing us (all 15 of us) to come out of my house and walk to the park in town together. Took us less than ten minutes and we settled in a spacious area of the park and played frisbee and other old school games like kaki tiga, baloon, etc.

That's a photo of me with Syaheir before we started running around the park like crazy mad men. Taken by Mustanir on his camera. Nice shot if I could say so myself. Whoops.

I'd like to thank all of LufBru for a great Semester and for coming along to the park to play. Thanks everyone that brought something to the park, you've made it more enjoyable.

Love,
Yasmin Patera
LufBru President 07/08

Fol got his new glasses over the weekend, I think he looks hot in them. Well, sometimes he just looks dorky but I love him nonetheless. I've been nagging him to get his eyes checked and we finally got around to seeing an optician when we were at the Carlington Plaza. I didn't go with him to pick them up but apparently the glasses he picked came out too bendy so they gave him a new pair absolutely free (and it cost 4 times the amount he actually paid lol), it was so nice of the optician. She was really really pretty when I met her, I think I'll go there the next time I need to get my eyes checked. Hee.

Fol and I at GoodLiffe's for Brunch with the boys.

I went clubbing for the first and absolute last time this semester with Fol, Hao and Shuv, it's nice to go out once in a while with friends and party. Haha, everyone around me was absolutely pissed but it was fun although we only stayed for an hour (we didn't get to the union til 11pm). One hour or less, it was a blast because I got to go with my favourite boys.

With Shuv at the Union's Friday Night Disco.

Earlier that evening I was suppose to have dinner at Mugal-e-Shahi with my coursemates in conjuction of Payal's 21st birthday.. and my coursemates being them, they were late. An hour late to be exact, so Mus, Fol, Amzar and I wandered into Woolworth, ended up buying a huge box for a chocolate present for Payal and more stuff we could bring back to Brunei. We didn't even stay long enough to get through the starters because Fol and I promised to help out some friends move their stuff to their new house.

With Payal and Sejal at Mugal-e-Shahi.

I mentioned in my previous post that I was in London. Amzar, Fol and I met up with Shuv, Syer and Shahyzul for shisha at Queensway. It was actually Shahyzul's 20th birthday yesterday.. so happy birthday babe. my shoutouts to you :-) Did I mention that I'm the only female living in my house at the moment? Syer's gone back to Brunei, Mas left ages ago.. The boys are driving me crazy but they still do the chores once they can see how annoyed I am. We managed to move all my stuff into my new house on Saturday and we filled up the whole drive way with my stuff, Lina's and Syer's as well, including our kitchen equipment. Hee. I should've taken a photo but I didn't have a camera with me that day.

With Shahyzul, the Brunei Students' Union President, at Queensway.

Anyway, it's almost 2am. I'm off to bed.

love,
yasmin.

I'm in London now with Fol, we've been around since Sunday. We packed, shuffled, shipped and moved all our belongings to the next door of my new home. We'll be moving all of that stuff over again this Saturday when I've got permission from the Landlady. Should be good fun. I actually have a busy weekend ahead of me. I'm suppose to meet the guy who'll be in charge of making the LufBru hoodies on Friday, in the evening will be Payal's 21st birthday dinner and then on Satuday, I'll be moving my stuff in to my new house and later that morning will be a LufBru Committee meeting to finalise whatever things that need to be done (and delegating work woohoo). That afternoon, we'll be having a snack-out, i.e. everyone is going to clearout their food stock and we'll eat it all up at Queen's park. Anyone else is more than welcome to join us, just find the bunch of weirdos attempting to play frisbee.

Sunday might be my off-day but I don't know. We'll have to see about that.. Fol and I are actually going back to Loughborough at different times, I think he's going back on Friday while I go back on Thursday afternoon so I can rest a while and then get the rest of the house clean before the final inspection by Nicholas J. Humphrey's. Everyone will be out so I get the house to myself for a while.

Met up with Syer, Shuv and Hui-Ping yesterday. I didn't shop (for once) but I did get one or two things I wanted like body shop and benefit products :-) Don't really know why Fol dragged me all the way to Carnaby street just to show me the new benefit shop if he wasn't going to let me buy anything. :-P He bought me sunglasses from Guess, there was a sale going on.. Shuv took time out and bought a skirt. I saw a handbag I liked, but I guess it could wait. Mum's right though, shopping is going to be much much more fun when my sister's around.

Okay, my face is literately inches away from the screen because I don't have my glasses or contacts on. I'm off to bed. Good night.

xoxox

ps. will change the layout sometime next week.

The nine day span of exams I had is finally finally over. My last exam was on Corporate Finance and it lasted two hours. It was a bit of a worry to see everyone around me scribbling on their notebooks while I made tables and graphs, but whatever. Two hours of that then I was a free bird. It's a big relief to know that second year is done and over with, now there's just the anticipation of waiting for results. They won't come out until the second week of July so if you're waiting for your results before you can fly home, you're in for a long wait.

My previous papers went alright, nothing ventured nothing gained right? At least the hard part of uni is over. Feels like just over a month ago, I just met the juniors at I-Lotus. It's hard to believe that in a few months we'll be organising the 2nd annual dinner gathering for the freshers'.

What's been achieved this year?

1. I've made new friends, better friends as a result of having to do group coursework and we receieved well deserved marks (shoud've been higher though!) for the two month effort we put into it.
   
2. I played in three netball tournaments this year, not a record but it kept me happy enough. Malaysia Society's netball team seemed to have died out right after the Malaysia Nottingham Games, but tough.
   
3. I became LSU Brunei Society's first ever president and I've got a great committee to back me up (and also to come up with many reasons as possible why we should do certain things).
   
4. I fed in the idea of first ever LufBru Summer Games 2007 and things are going well and smoothly, except for a few kinks with the LSU Clubs and Society office, but I'm going to sort that out today.
   
5. Fol and I have reached our two year plus plus mark. ♥
   
6. I've managed to establish a Loughborough Brunei Society netball team with Masnur and I leading it together.

Fol rented a car that day so after my last paper he took me and some of my friends, Sabri, Lina and Syer, to Birmingham, where I swear to god I didn't buy anything but there were a couple things here and there I would have wanted to get but I didn't have any money on me. Fol bought me a top and a dress though :-) We've been talking about these sandals we saw on an advert at Clarks, and when he got home from London on Tuesday, he surprised me with those pair of sandals.

Yesterday Fol and I took Amzar and the people that live at Hermitage (Mariam, Azan, Minul and Shafiq) to Cheshire Oaks, supposedly the biggest shopping village here in UK. Fol and I have been there many times before but we've never spent as much time as we did there yesterday. We were there for 8 hours! SHOPPING! Before this, we've spent a maximum of four hours in Cheshire Oaks, but never longer than that. Then again, we've never bought this much stuff.

I didn't see many things I'd get for myself, we were in Ralph Lauren when I decided that I don't really need another polo shirt like daddy's. Hehe, I love wearing the same shirt as daddy, it's so much fun. It's like, you know how mother's and daughter's dress alike or how sister's dress alike, it's that kind of fun with my dad. Ooohh, but I did buy dad a little something and I KNOW he's going to love it :-)

We've packed up most of the things in this house, it's such a shame to be leaving it, but heck, I'm sure I'll have more fun in my new house. After all, it is literately 2 minutes off campus and it'll be an all girl's house.. but I'm sure the boys will visit :-P knowing them, they cannot not visit.

Anyway, it's almost 9am. I'm off.

love,
yas.

xxxx

It's STRAWBERRY SEASON! My sister loves strawberries, I never had a "love" for them. I'm the type of person who won't eat them if they're on the table, waiting to be eaten. I might take a bite if it's offered to me, but that's unusual too. Syer's sitting next to me, we're studying at the round table in our living room and she's laughing her head off. Tallooooorr.

Sat in a 3 hour exam today. Management Accounting, double credits. Not doing well for this would mean not doing well for the whole year. Anyhow. To cut it short, I couldn't sleep, probably due to anxiety (or the damn excitement of the exam, note the sarcasm ;p) annndd.. I almost overslept! But thankfully didn't. My housemate was considerate because she didn't shower during her usual time (i.e. 7 am) meaning I actually had the shower to myself at that hour, meaning I could actually shower at that time and be ready well enough for the exam.

Fol's around, so he made me nasi goreng style ayah with PUSU! Because we found a vacuumed sealed pack of anchovies in the food drawers, so I was extra extra happy this morning because not only did Fol made my favourite breakfast but he added my favourite condiments in it as well :-D

After my exam I cycled home with Qian and went out for lunch with Fol because I was weirdly craving food from Thai Grand. THEENN.. we went to Marks and Spencer's where we found GIANT strawberries from USA. They are humongous! siiirriioouus (does it in Mona's toneee)

Big right? Those three anyway. We bought a dozen for £3.99 (it was originally about £11 a kilo and this one was £3 off! Then Fol and I wandered around town to the fresh market stall and bought British strawberries.. lol! Yes, the smaller strawberries you see in the photo above is British :-)

My next paper's this Friday. I forgot what time though but I think it's in the afternoon. I should really check. I actually sat like WAYYY at the back today, like 31 rows BEHIND. How intimidating was that? Sometimes I get really really nervous walking into the exam hall when there's like a thousand people already seated, so I usually try to arrive early and stand righttt next to the door so I can just walk in as soon as they say, "you can come in now". Yatahtooo..HANDAL.

Ayie's coming back to Brunei in July. We've been talking about me visiting him in Taiwan. I just checked ticket prices in September and they're like $980 - $940 for a return ticket from Brunei, and there's no direct flight. Huuu. £330 for a ticket there? Hmm. I'll have to think about it :-)

Okay. Two days til the next paper. Wish me luck! :)

love,
yasmin.
XOXOX

ESOK AKU EXAM! EXAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMM. PERIKSA. Woohoot.

Creepy right? I saw them at a Cancer Research booth and bought them for £5 all together. I'm going to have tons of fun with them after exams!

Esok aku exam!!!!!!!!!!!! lol. First day of exams start tomorrow, I just got back from Payal's... went over to her house to compare her answers of last year's sequences and series exam to mine. Not bad not bad :-) I didn't do tooo bad. Let's hope he doesn't screw us over in tomorrow's exam like all the other lecturers did in last semester.

Tomorrow's paper has negative marking, it's like.. 3 marks for the right answer, -1 for the wrong answer and 0 for no answer. Worse case scenario for everyone is if they get everything wrong. That's like -20 off your marks and if you do get everything wrong, all your modules get affected, negatively. Lboro works on averages, having a negative mark on your module just lowers your overall grade. Dumdedum!!!

Mus with one of the new dolls I bought from a Cancer Research booth!

The sky was dark when I got back. Like really really dark. Okay I'm off.

Wish me luck! I can't wait to go home!!!!

xxxx