New school horse

For the past three lessons, I have been riding a different horse. Joker is a 14.2-14.3hh palomino gelding. He is absolutely gorgeous, and great to ride too, although his trot is even more bouncy than Bart's!

One thing Joker does a fair bit is head-tossing. But it is my fault, because my hands are not steady enough, resulting in me catching him in the mouth sometimes. However this teaches me to be more conscious of my hands, and I have been working hard to keep them still.

I haven't rode in over three weeks due to exams, and I am already itching to get back into the saddle. Oh well, it could be my motivation! ^^

Joker and I having a canter

Don't you just love his shiny golden coat? ^^

Joker showing off his blaze

Honey and the Bee

This is one of my favourite songs from Owl City's latest album, All Things Bright and Beautiful. It's a duet featuring Adam Young and Breanne Duren. Enjoy folks! ^^

Don't remind me
That some days I'm the windshield
And other days I'm just a lucky bug
As cold iron rail leave old mossy trails through the countryside

The crow and bean field
Are my best friends, but boy I need a hug
'Cause my heart stops without you
There's something about you that makes me feel alive

If the green left the grass on the other side
I would make like a tree and leave
But if I reached for your hand, would your eyes get wide
Who knew the other side could be so green

Don't remind me
I'm a chickadee in love with the sky
But that's clearly not a lot to crow about
'Cause when the stars silhouette me
I'm scared they'll forget me, and flicker out

I taste honey but I haven't seen the hive
Yeah, I didn't look, I didn't even try
But still my heart stops without you
'Cause there's something about you that makes me feel alive

If the green left the grass on the other side
I would make like a tree and leave
But if I reached for your hand, would your eyes get wide
Who knew the other side could be so green

We are honey and the bee

Backyard of butterflies surrounded me
I fell in love with you, like bees to honey
So let's up and leave the weeping to the willow tree
And pour our tears in the sea

I swear! There's a lot of vegetables out there, that crop up for air
And yet I never thought we were two peas in a pod
To be suddenly bloomed, I knew
That I'd always love you
Oh I'll always love you too

If the green left the grass on the other side
I would make like a tree and leave
But if I reached for your hand, would your eyes get wide
Who knew the other side could be so green

If the green left the grass on the other side
I would make like a tree and leave
But if I reached for your hand, would your eyes get wide
Who knew the other side could be so green

And if I reached for your hand for the rest of my life
Who knew the other side could be so green

Owl City

Just recently I have discovered this band, or more like a one-man band, called Owl City. The person behind it is a man of great talent, Adam Young. You see, I was sorting through my favourited videos on YouTube and came across a clip from the movie, The Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole. The song featured in the clip was called 'To the Sky'. While I was listening to it, I thought, 'Wow who is this guy singing? His voice is amazing!' And I immediately Googled to find out. Turns out he became extremely popular when his song 'Fireflies' hit the top of the charts around two years ago.

It's not surprising that at the time, I never went out of my way to buy CDs or watch music videos online. I may have heard 'Fireflies' on the radio before but of course, I never bothered to follow up on it. But anyway, this belongs to the past.

After learning some more about this talented musician, I looked up some of his songs on YouTube. I am amazed myself that I liked nearly all his songs. The reason I've never had a favourite band or singer was because usually I only like say, a few songs from a single band/singer. Adam composes and programs (his genre is electro-pop) everything himself, from the melodies to the lyrics.

I promptly logged onto iTunes and purchased all his albums available in the Australian iTunes store. They included All Things Bright and Beautiful, Ocean Eyes, Maybe I'm Dreaming, Sky Sailing and Of June. There were also a couple of singles, Alligator Sky and Strawberry Avalanche, which I also bought. =P

There are quite a few reasons why I find his songs wonderful. First of all, the lyrics paint a picture in your mind as you are listening to the songs. They are simple and sophisticated at the same time, just utterly brilliant. Secondly, Adam sings his songs with clear articulation. I just hate it when you listen to a song and half the time you have no idea what the words are. Well this doesn't happen with Owl City! Finally, his songs never fail to cheer me up after a bad day, there's just something about them that makes warm and fuzzy inside. Adam Young's imagination is what makes his music outstanding and unique.

See for yourself, have a listen to some of his most popular songs, for example, Vanilla Twilight, The Saltwater Room, The Real World and Galaxies.

Oh and he is handsomely cute. ^^

Almost Time!

There is only two and a half weeks to go until semester one starts! I have mixed feelings about this. I sort of want to get into a routine again, yet I know I will miss the blissful holidays when I'm back at uni. This year will be my final year as an undergraduate, after that is either employment or postgrad study. I haven't decided which way to go yet. It is one of the several things I must sort out before the year ends.

I will be taking the following subjects this semester:
- Advanced Food Analysis
- Food Processing and Preservation
- Biotechnology in Practice
- Techniques in Molecular Science

It has been a busy February so far. For one there was the Chinese New Year celebrations, it's the year of the rabbit for those who don't know. We had a delicious family dinner at a new restaurant that opened in the city, called Shanghai Dynasty. The interior decor was spectacular! Full of golds and fancy furniture. There was dragon dance too, to entertain and bless the patrons dining that evening.

In other news, I have been kept on as a casual at David Jones! =D However we got a new manager and all that, so hopefully things will still look up. I gave in my uni availabilities in on Monday, so I am hoping to get consistent hours each week. Fingers crossed!

2011 - The beginning of a new decade

The passing of 2010 has been a milestone for me. It's been over ten years since my family and I immigrated to Australia. Although we arrived here in May 1999, if I subtract the months spent visiting relatives back in my hometown, it would make exactly ten years in Australia, give or take a week or so.

These ten extraordinary years will always be etched in my memory. So many amazing events and experiences have happened that would not have if I have remained in China. My outlook on life and the society would have been wildly different. So for this I am eternally grateful to my parents for bringing me over here.

Over the years I have made many life-long friends, and all of them have helped me to become the person I am today. Especially with my high school friends, the memories we shared are unforgettable; from the crazy times at school camps, to the joy of lunchtimes at school and activities such as team sports and orchestra. Even though most of us have gone to different universities, we have never lost contact and never hesitate to catch-up over a cup of coffee or a movie.

Growing up in Australia has helped me to put things in perspective. If I had stayed in China, my teenage years would have been nothing but years of endless study, competing with hundreds of thousands of hopeful students to get into the best universities. But my parents have given me a chance to grow and develop while balancing between work and play. A good education is paramount yes, but the difference is that I was still allowed to have fun. Our time on Earth are to be lived, meaning doing the things we love before it's to late.

The year 2010 has been amazing itself. I have started horse riding lessons, something I have dreamed about for years. Even though I only do so occasionally, I feel that I'm on the road to realizing this dream. 2010 is the year that I started volunteering, the importance of which I have overlooked before. The only regret is that I did not start earlier. I have also become more outgoing over the past year. By that I mean spending less time holed up at home in front of the computer, and instead enjoying the great outdoors with all my friends.

My wish, my resolution for the new year is to continue doing all these things mentioned above, as well as getting out there and discover new adventures.

2011 - I can feel dawning of the best year of my life.