The Past Month In A Glance

Giving updates on my life here in Melbourne hasn't been the easiest thing to do. First of all, nothing has been going on. I can't tell you how stressed out I am at work, because I'm not working yet. I can't tell you of the places I've been to, because I haven't traveled anywhere. Thus whenever I'm asked of how I was doing, I'd say "oh pretty much the same". Which pretty much meant nothing.

Still, I'm going to give it a go here, a rundown of what I've been doing for the past month.

Daily Going-Ons
I wake up early in the morning, and the second thing I turn on is my laptop (first being the electric kettle). My laptop has been a real lifesaver, connecting me to the world which I left behind. I cook dinner almost everyday. Once a week, we'd do a takeaway, which is usually Nandos, because for some odd reason, Tim is addicted to the peri-peri chicken. Me, not so much.

At least once a week, I'd head to the city. It doesn't matter where I go, as long as I get out of the house. I love walking in the city; the hustle and bustle of working people rushing out to lunch, shopping and all under an hour, the students packing the trains, etc. And the odd smelly folks whom I get to sit next to on the train.

Geekchic keeps me sane during the day, with our daily emails, chatting about nothing and everything. Downloaded movies, series of drama and sitcom to sift through while I'm on my computer. That sort of thing.

Birthday
Celebrated my second birthday here in Australia. It was a quiet affair, just with Tim. Dinner cooked by the husband, chocolate cake for dessert, and a song which he wrote me.

I wouldn't trade that for anything. Turning 28 in Australia - I call it moving on to a new phase in life.

Books
I've been reading a lot more since I got here. Thank God for the public library, which is but 5 minutes away from our apartment. Somehow going to the library reminded me of my student days. Ahh those were the days indeed. Plus the library is stocked with the latest magazines (which people aren't allowed to borrow just yet), so I get my mag-junkie fix for free.

Movies
It's more expensive to watch movies in the cinema in Australia, yet somehow I watched more movies here than I did in Malaysia. Cheapskate Tuesdays, yeah! (only AUD10 on Tuesdays)

Jumper was disappointing, Indiana Jones 4 was rather anti-climatic (though Harrison Ford, he's still got it), Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian was meh, and Sex and the City: The Movie rocked. Get Smart was funny, but there's no chemistry between Steve Carrell and Anne Hathaway. That's what I thought anyway. Who wants to watch Kungfu Panda with me? Come on, it's Jack Black doing kungfu! Well, sort of :p

Family and Friends
I miss my family and friends so much, it hurts. I miss the familiarity of home, of being able to do what I wanted, without judgment. I miss hanging out with my girlfriends at work. Tim's friends are great, but it's very easy to tune out when medical talk easily seeps in.

It's amazing how small the world can be, and how blogging can really bring you places and more importantly, friends. Through my blog, I've managed to make some friends of my own here. Girl's day/night out, birthday party and such with Geekchic and some friends I got to know through her and sweets indulgence with Jules have been the highlight of my month. I've still yet to meet Ed, which I'm hoping I get to sometime soon.

Faith
Leaving my world behind to join another's in a place so foreign has taken quite a toll on me. Frustrations get the better of me many times, which makes me wonder what I'm doing here in the first place. Remembering that He is in charge, that He will take care of me, of us, putting our faith in Him, are what gets me through. Regularly attending church helped too. It's sad that I hardly go to church when I was in Malaysia. I made it a point to attend church services regularly when I'm here, and that's what I plan to do. Odd slip-ups now and then, but so far so good.

Today
Well, I'm at home, writing this. I haven't done this in a while, and it feels surprisingly good.

Tomorrow
I don't know what tomorrow will bring, for I am living every day, each at a time.

(Almost) Plight of the Wedding Band

Before I got married, I hardly wore rings on my finger. And when I do, it's only when I go out. At home, the rings are back in the jewelry box where they belong.

So you can imagine how weird it is to be wearing a wedding band all the time. I normally take it out when I'm doing the dishes, or when I need to wash my hands. Come to think about it, whenever there's a need to get my hands wet, or if they're slathered with hand cream, I remove the ring. I couldn't stand getting my ring all wet and icky.

Yesterday, I had about the biggest shock I've had in a long time. I almost lost my wedding band.

It was just past midnight that I had a strange feeling that my wedding ring wasn't where it was supposed to be. I'd normally put it on my dresser, along with my husband's. I got out of bed and checked.

It wasn't there.

I checked the desk, the couch, the kitchen, the loo ... everywhere I could think of. Did I drop it in my bag? Did it *gasp* fall into the rubbish bin? I almost had a panic attack, I tell you.

In the end, I found it, in my laptop. That is, it was wedged between the screen and the keyboard, and I didn't realise that I closed the notebook without removing my ring. I must have taken the ring off when I was typing or something. I have a tendency to do that as well.

So now, I'm making sure it's on my finger, 24/7.




Oh wait. I'm not wearing it. Bugger, where did I put it again?!

Doctor Doctor

Playing naughty doctors and nurses games is by no means in the cards, but this crosses the line.

There's something mighty strange when it's no longer a game, and that your own husband performs an actual medical procedure on you. I'm not going to say what it is, but suffice to say, it's definitely not a pleasant one.

Why do I suddenly feel so dirty?

Update: It's NOT a pelvic exam, or anything that's got to do with any parts below the waist. Just sayin'.

Discouraged

It's getting exceedingly difficult to blog these days.

I'm losing steam to write anything. It's not as though nothing is going on in my life, but I just can't seem to put them in words. A sense of discouragement sweeps over me. It's not the lack of readers; you guys are the best. Seriously. I don't know what's come over me. Maybe it's the lack of sense of achievement. A lack of self and purpose, a routine which is getting too all too familiar for my liking. A burning question in my head - "what am I doing here?!"

The pity party in me is having a real ball, that I can tell you. I've slipped into this funk yet again.

A change is what I need. To do something totally different, to delve into the unknown, still with the confidence to survive. I know what I want to do.

The question is, do I have the courage to pursue it?

Another Milestone

I turn 28 today. Twenty-freakin'-eight! Two more years and I'll be in my *gasp* thirties!

I remembered how miserable I was on New Year's Eve of 2006, contemplating the fact that I would be turning 27 then. I even told my girlfriends to not remind me about actually turning 27 lest I jump off the Penang Bridge. Sad, huh?

Still, with all the theatrics and drama aside, this has been a great year thus far. It's my first birthday as a married woman, and in a wholly different environment altogether. I have great friends who have not forgotten about lil' ol' me here down under. And even though I still don't have a job just yet (don't remind me, yeah?), I'm happy.

I have a wonderful man who loves me dearly, a lovely family who support me in whatever I chose to become or do, and beautiful friends. The Lord has been so faithful to me even though I'm so much less. Words cannot describe how much I thank Him for His abundant blessings upon my life.

So bring it on, 28, and whatever good or bad surprises you'll throw at me. You are but a number.

It'll be all right.

Oh What A Start To A Chilly Sunday Morning

Our peaceful slumber was rudely awakened by the loud whirring of the helicopter blades looming near our apartment this morning. When the sound got louder the next 10 minutes, I grudgingly got out of the toasty-warm bed, slipped on my Kahunas, and braced the crisp chill at the balcony to find out what was going on.

Apparently there was a chopper a block away lifting a piece of machinery out of the building (yeah, on an early Sunday morning. Tsk tsk tsk). But that was not the most surprising sight which greet me in a very long time. I looked up to the sky, and through my blurry, sleepy vision, I thought I saw five blobs in the sky. With the great sound of the chopper, my first thought was "Is this a war zone?!"

Rubbing my eyes a little more, my vision cleared. And what I saw just blew me away. For what was floating right above me, were four colourful hot-air balloons.

I had no idea what a hot-air balloon was flying over our roof, let alone five. But the vision alone was breathtaking.

What a delight it was to start the beautiful Sunday morning. And it continued to be a good one.

My Learner's Permit. Yay!

I've finally, finally gotten my learner's permit!

I've decided I didn't really like my picture after all :(

I had my learner's permit done at the Vicroads branch at Burwood. Tim had his license done there as well, so he thought he'd bring me there and give them a piece of his mind in case I get the same crap I had gotten at the Oakleigh branch.

Initially, I did face the same problem with my name as well, just like I did before. The problem with my last name smacked in the middle of my whole name in my passport.

"Sigh, Malaysian passports always confuse us."

That's it. All the person did was looked at the passport, and said that. So irritatingly nonchalant. She didn't mention any sort of solution, but neither did she give me more crap about my last name. It was simply because one of the managers on duty yesterday was a Chinese, who cleared everything up pronto. The application process went on quickly, and I finally got to take the test. Finally!

Oh, and I passed with *ahem* 100% *ahem* :p

Anyways, now that I've gotten my permit, I'm going to be lodging a formal complaint to Vicroads about this. There should be some sort of policy for Malaysian passports made known to the Vicroads people. My passport was not the first Malaysian one they encountered; they must have encountered thousands of Malaysian passports with last names not in the "right" position, which would also mean that they should know what to do. Instead of shaking their heads and giving us all that "Oh, Malaysian passports confuse us" rubbish and inconvenience us by asking us to get our passports changed, names changed, etc.

I have yet to take my Hazards Perception Test, but when I do, I'm going back to the Oakleigh branch, just to shove my permit at the faces. Hmph.

So yeah, I'm now officially an L driver in Victoria. Whee!

PS: Thanks very much for all your suggestions and advice on getting my learner's permit. It's so cool when you can get help on the blogosphere. I really appreciate it :)

Help Needed - I Don't Want To Change My Name!

I'm having a very big problem with identification in Australia.

I couldn't take my driver's learner's permit test today. Not that I was not allowed to, but after a long discussion with the Vicroads lady (nice girl, Jenna), I realised that it would be pointless to apply for something which I would be using as an identification other than my passport in Australia. For the very thing I did not expect to give me problems with is, well, giving me a lot of problems.

My name.

Now as a Chinese, I have a Chinese name (duh). I also have an official Christian name attached to my birth certificate, Malaysian identification card and passport. For explanation's sake, let's say my name is Amy Lim Yen Lee (it's not, by the way) - first name Amy, second/middle name Yen Lee, and surname Lim. That's how it's written in Malaysia, and that's how I'm known as. Now over here (basically almost everywhere else BUT Malaysia), my name would be Amy Yen Lee Lim. My surname would be last. You know what I mean?

When the Vicroads lady checked my passport, she was dismayed to learn that it was a Malaysian passport. Apparently this was not the first time they've encountered this. She explained to me that my surname is Lee, not Lim, regardless of what I wrote in the application form, nor any bank statements, etc. They insisted that unless my surname and first names are clearly specified on the passport, they have to read the name on the passport from left to right. In that case, my surname happened to be Lee. And that would be my name here.

This is a huge problem for me. If I were to apply for a driver's license here, my surname would be changed. Due to some new department policy, they have to read my name as it is on the passport, even though I told them specifically my surname was Lim, that it's written in my passport, birth certificate, etc. It would not make any difference to them; they just have to read it as it is, on the passport, from left to right. They suggested a way around this would be if I were to get the Malaysian consulate to change my passport, or to have some kind of note on the Observations page in the passport to indicate what my first and last names are. If not, then the name will have to be Amy Lee, not Amy Lim.

Now, all explanations aside ... this is RIDICULOUS!! I mean, come on! I am not the first Malaysian they encountered, and yet they just wouldn't bend to see reason. It's all just black and white. When I asked them what the rest of the Malaysian applicants did with that problem, and they told me that they just kept their "surname" that way. In other words, their names were changed. Oh they sympathised with me all that, but there was nothing else they could do. Unless I was all right with such an identification, there was nothing they could do.

I don't get it. So they're all right with us changing our names just to fit their policy?? This is going to cause a real havoc with my life here in Australia!

Are there any Malaysians in Australia facing this problem? How did you get around it? I don't want to have to go to the Malaysian embassy in Canberra just to get my name right. The Malaysian friends I know here did not even face such a problem. Is it because I have an extra Christian name attached, that's why my surname was squeezed in the middle? I had this problem when applying for Medicare too, but they closed an eye and let me through, with my actual surname intact.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Coffee or a meal on me. Seriously.

Thanks!

PS: I went to the Vicroads at Oakleigh South.

Meeting The Geekchic

After all the emails and text messages to and fro, the Geekchic and I finally made plans to meet up at South Yarra for coffee today. I had no idea what to expect; she was really friendly over the messages, but who knows what she's like in real life. You know what I mean?

I was absolutely delighted that she's equally (if not more) lovely in person.

We actually arranged to meet up at around 5pm today. Since I arrived early and had time to kill, I thought I'd take a stroll along Chapel St and browse the shops first. It was such a coincidence that we bumped into each other in the Bloom store she told me about!

Now I've never met Geekchic before, but as we had over an hour of coffee and cake, we started chatting about anything and everything like we've been friends for years. Talked about shopping (oh we are such shopping addicts!), makeup, perfume, work, life, etc. Suffice to say, I had such a great time with her. Another coffee session soon, yeah?

So yay for me, I've made another friend here *big grin*.

Me Knitted Scarf

Is it sad that I know how to knit? If not, then what is sad (or sadder) is that I only know how to knit scarves. I have no idea how to knit anything else. Quite frankly, I don't have the patience to. A college lecturer taught my friend and I to knit during one of our Moral Education lessons. We started off with a scarf. Do you know how long it took me to knit that bloody scarf?

FIVE months. With many holes to boast too.

I brought that scarf with me to the UK, but I never did wear it because I was afraid I'd dirty it. It took me five months to make it, dammit. So, it stayed in the cupboard for 3 years before I brought it back to Malaysia.

Fast forward 10 years, and I still only know how to knit a scarf. BUT, behold a whole new record.

Six days.

This is what happens when you have way too much time in your hands. Still, it'd be great for those winter-y days and nights.

Hmm ... what colour should I do next?

Most Expensive Steak Ever

We went to Rockpool Bar and Grill for dinner last night. As it was a very popular restaurant, we could only make reservations for dinner at 10pm. And I had what is the most EXPENSIVE piece of steak I have ever. EVER.

AUD110 for a 220g Wagyu fillet steak.

Absolutely succulent piece of cow EVER! No sauce was needed with it; it was just the meat. Sweet. I'm trying to hold it all in, avoiding the loo just to make it all worth the money. I think you know what I mean. We left the restaurant at 12.30am. It was definitely the latest I've ever had dinner.

Hello instant noodles for the next few months. But bloody hell, it was absolutely worth it.

Good Mother, Bad Mother

A week ago, I was at Chadstone for the launch of the Zac Posen collection for Target. After my stint at Target, I was just browsing the shops, when two young mothers (probably in their early twenties) were walking past me with their daughters. The daughters were around 6 to 8 years old, and one of them was fretting and crying. The little girl wasn't wailing at the top of her lungs (I hate it when parents who allow their children to scream and shout in public places); she was merely sobbing.

The mother dragged her along, pulling her arm, and kept shouting at her "shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!!". When her daughter wouldn't move, she forcefully pulled her arm, and kept telling her to shut up. It was a very unpleasant sight which caught the attention of many, but they just moved along as if nothing has happened. The friend did not even react; it was as though the shouting at the child was the most natural thing in the world.

That got me thinking. Oh my God, what if I turned out like that? Would I be a horrible mother too?

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not pregnant, and I don't intend to be, not in the next couple of years anyway. We're not financially and emotionally ready to have children just yet. This works well for me because to be honest, I'm just not into kids.

I don't know what to do with them. I cannot stand screaming babies or children. I don't know how to talk to them. I don't know how to even be with them. I'm not comfortable with children around because I just have no idea when it comes to them.

Those close to me know how hot-tempered I can be. I've literally beaten my lil' brother up when I was much younger. I don't know if I'd have the patience to teach my own. It's a very frightening thought, putting myself in that mother's shoes, screaming at her own daughter to keep quiet.

It is not a surprise that I grew up with the rotan (cane). I can't remember the number of times my mum whooped my ass when I was younger. I bet I wasn't the only one. As long as you're Asian, you would have had your ass rotan-ed when you were growing up. My mum would whack me just on my arms and legs, and never on my bottom. Her rationale was that the marks could not be seen on my bum, but they were visible on my legs. That way, I'd really learn my lesson when I was questioned by my peers about the cane marks. Believe me, it worked. Nothing shamed more than the jeers of your peers at that age.

Now that I'm living in Australia, and would be starting a family here, the use of a cane would be out of the question, lest I want child services knocking on my door for alleged child abuse. Would I know how to discipline my children in any other way other than with the rod? I don't know, I really don't. Would I be a horrible mother if I used it? Would I be better or worse if I don't?

It's a thinker, all right.

Nevertheless, in time, I know the maternal instincts will kick in. I just hope it won't take too long.

Note: This is not to scare you into keeping your children away from me. I won't beat them up :)

Sigh

Update (10.11pm): The other hi fin has also passed on. I have a strong feeling we bought a sickly batch of hi fin swordtails. It was a difficult moment, trying to determine if the lil' fella was still alive because there was a lot of spontaneous jerky movements. My guppies and zebra danios are still kickin' it well, so it's not the water. Gah.

One of my "babies" bit the dust today. Only after four days in her new home.

The pregnant one.

:(

Our Family Has A New Addition

Here's a very warm welcome to the latest additions to the family!

Yep, Tim and I are now proud "parents" of 8 fishes. We actually wanted a dog, but due to our current living conditions, that's out of the question. So for now, we're contented with our little swimmers.

Fishes sure are expensive here, to own or even to eat. A guppy would normally cost me around RM2 back in Malaysia, but it's AUD4 here. Eight fishes cost us almost AUD30. Crazy or not, you say?

For now, there are two yellow guppies, one spotty guppy (I call it that just because it has spots; I'm sure it's not what it really is), two hi fin swordtails, two zebra danios and a sucker catfish. Our sucker catfish is just about the most active sucker I've ever come across. The little fella darts around the aquarium very often, rather than just plaster its mouth to the glass.

I have a strong feeling we also purchased a pregnant hi fin swordtail. Her belly is pretty big compared to the male, and is always in one corner by the plants. I read that fishes often eat their fry. Euuuw.

Anyways, we bought hardy fishes, so they should last us for a while. The problem is that we seriously overfeed the fish. When I wake up, I feed the fish. When Tim wakes up, he also feeds the fish. In the afternoon, when I'm bored, I feed the fish. When Tim returns home from work, he feeds the fish, just for the heck of it. Plus I've got a tank of greedy lil' buggers, so they'll eat whenever they can.

It's no wonder there's a whole lotta shit at the bottom of the tank.

The Reason We'll Be Eating Maggi Mee For Awhile

We've been sinfully indulgent this month. And I mean really sinful.

On the left would be my iPod Touch, which is supposed to be a very early birthday pressie (my birthday's actually in June). We've been looking around for quite a while now, checking out prices and all that. Thank God Harvey Norman was having a sale on their iPods a few weeks ago, and we managed to knock $100 off. 32GB is a LOT of music and video to indulge myself in :p

Methinks the hubby's green-eyed at my iPod Touch, because he got himself an iPhone the very next day! Tsk tsk tsk. Had to get it online, of course, because it's not out in Australia yet. It was unlocked too, which was good. And oh. My. Gaaawwwd. It is the most beautiful phone I've ever seen. The features are not as fancy as other mobile phones there are out there, but come on, an Apple-something is every geek's desire, no matter how small. Tee hee :p

This will SEVERELY cut down our dining outs for the next month. But really, these toys are so worth it.

I Have Not Forgotten About You

Update: This will be the last time I talk about you here. Goodbye.

There are times when I think of how you're doing, how you're getting on. No, I have not forgotten you. How could I, when you were a significant part of my life before?

Yet we do not write to each other, not anymore. We both know we were lying when we said we would keep in touch. Time apart from each other was what we so desperately needed but never had. This is good, very good.

I know you don't come here anymore. Too bad.

Because I'm going to prove you wrong. That I can and will be able to make it here on my own. In time you'll hear through the grapevine on how good I'm doing here. I will not succumb to the stereotype you assumed I will become. I will not give you that pleasure.

Still.

I have not forgotten about you.

Daytime Telly, You're My Friend (Dan Lain Lain)

Being a bit of a lazy arse today, thus lumping all updates into one entry. We've also officially exceeded our broadband bandwidth, so the connection is worse than a bloody dial-up. Better to get all this out in a go before the bandwidth finally dies on me.
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After much deliberation, Tim and I have decided to not move out of our current shared abode until after his exams. It was actually my suggestion. Ironic, isn't it, since I was the one who was making so much fuss about it? What to do, one's got to be practical. At this point, with the bad home-buying market in Australia just now, it just isn't feasible for us to jump right into it. Even home rentals have gone up. Anyways, Tim does not need the distraction now, not before his exams. After the exams in August, then we'll see from there.

Please remind me of the practicality of our decision again if I do start moaning about it once more. I know I will. It isn't easy, y'know, what with us being newly-weds and all. Gah.

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On the job front - still nothing. Resumes have been sent out, and so far, it's been rejection after rejection. It's getting pretty frustrating. I'm placing all this into the Lord's hands. I have faith that He'll pull me through this.

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In order to fill up my time, I've been trying my hand at cooking and, for the very first time, baking. The last time I actually helped to bake something was 6 years ago, when I was still a university student, helping my housemate at baking cakes (gotta help if I wanna eat 'em).

Made a batch of 12 triple chocolate chip muffins yesterday. It came out just the way as I like my muffins, crispy on the front, and soft inside. Yum yum.

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I just love how dramatic Americans can be. But then again, hours and days of infomercials, Dr Phil and Oprah can do something funny to your mind. (o_O)

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I'm f**king hooked to f**king Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. You the man, yo!

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The long Easter weekend starts tomorrow (till Monday), and the weather forecast for the weekend's good. YAY! Not able to do any stay-over trips though because everything's fully booked. Reckon we'll do a day trip, like to Yarra Valley or something. See how lah.

PS: By the way, this is my 500th post. Wah.

Nothing to Say

What's the point of updating when there's nothing going on to talk about in the first place?

Can't be telling you the stuff I cooked on a daily basis now, can I? (By the way, my cooking gave Tim and I diarrhea the other day. Yep, I finally managed to poison my husband)

Sigh.

Gotta get out of this funk soon.

Saja

"Err ... what's the occasion?"

"Saja."

"What did you do wrong??"

"Aiya, saja lah. Cannot meh?"

My favourite flowers from the husband. Gotta stop being paranoid so early in the marriage :p

Sweet, so sweet *mmmmmmmm*.

Druggy, Boozy Friday

Just one week Down Under, and I'm down with a flu :(

Perks of sleeping with a doctor? *wink wink*

FREE DRUGS!

Pumped meself with meds, plus there isn't anything good ol' Vicks cannot fix.

With me sick and all, guess what me lovely housemate and I decided to do? Mix meds with booze!

On a Friday afternoon, we thought it would be fun to try out some cocktails, since housemate Sharky is somewhat a cocktail connoisseur (he had all the equipment anyway). Sharky wasn't working that day (unfortunately Tim was), and I swear to God I was feeling a lot better then, so I made him make a drink for me. Had my favourite, a stiff Cosmopolitan. Yum yum.

Let's just say, Tim was not at all amused to see me in my half-drunken stupor when he got back from work. But really, I felt better! After some persuasion, in the end, he decided to join us, so after dinner (Korean food ... mmmmm ....), we had another round of drinks. This time, we had something more "terror".

Sharky doing his thang.

That's only like, one-tenth of his stuff. Tsk tsk :p

Trying to flame the drink, but sadly failed. Will have to try it again.

One shot of Blue Curacao and another of Bailey's cream.

Tim drank the mixed concoction (if I'm not mistaken, there was Sambuca in there as as it tasted a bit like licorice).

All in all, I had a Cosmopolitan, a bit of that funny blue-grey drinky thingy, and finished off with a lovely raspberry martini that Friday. It wasn't enough to get us drunk (although Tim's face was beetroot red, apparently due to lack of some enzymes which break down alcohol or some thingamajiggy), but we slept very well that night. Well, at least he did, 'cos my flu got a whole worse the next day.

So, boys and girls, the moral of the story is - eat, drink and be merry today, for tomorrow the flu gets a lot worse.

Thank you, thank you.

PS: By the way, I did NOT mix the meds with booze. Boys and girls, you know you're not supposed to mix meds with alcohol, right? I had them with water. THEN I had the booze :p

PPS: Shhhh, don't tell my mother!