Yearender Report
6 hours and 9 minutes to go! I'm not exactly itching to start afresh, but it feels good to have a new sheet of paper to write on or tear apart or smear mud on or mutilate or whatever. It's great that here's another chance.
This isn't a detailed yearender report like those 2004 yearender TV specials chronicling newsworthy items throughout the year, though. It's just a short entry I'm squeezing in once again, in my attempt to mess with CORS, or the Centralized Online Registration System of NUS. It's a report saying I'm still here, I'm still alive, and I'm having a blast.
I'm doing great! I went to my friend Jesa's debut at the posh Marco Polo Hotel the other day, where the theme was informal, something of a bar. It was basically one big clubbing session, complete with lavish cocktales, but with some small party games and some snippets of her artsy pretty-pretty cheerleader-kind life flashed onscreen. Very cool. And instead of us bringing gifts, she instead wanted us to donate a few pesos to send some out-of-school youth back to school. Very nice. And it was reunion too, of my friends in high school (hehe who I meet about twice a year anyway hee), and even those in grade school! Total blast from the past. It was super. I learned later that most everyone had the impression that I had turned to a drunkard of sorts already! Note to self: Drink your SMB's quick, and don't hold the bottle while dancing (even if it's convenient).
Yesterday, we had an overnight at this lovely lovely family resort of Clang, one of my batchmates. It was a high school reunion (as if Jesa's reunion wasn't enough) and it was jsut the perfect place to unwind and relax and talk and laugh! It was the perfect place, really. There was a hanging bridge, some hammocks, viewdecks that give a terrific view of the sea, an open dining area with a bar and TV with karaoke(!), a small swimming pool, some of those whatchamacallit beds/benches that sunbathers use, and this newly-built antique-style resthouse for Clang's mom. All that plus my high school friends. Great fun, needless to say.
I've been out almost every day I'm here, going out to shop for gifts (always futile but it's fun walking around) or to meet up with friends and watch a movie, and also, there was this other time, I went out with my lola to watch Mano Po! Hehe. First time she's seen a movie in the cinema after 3, 5 years? My sister's turned 16 too, and she had a blast hiking up this hill of sorts in this island near Davao. ;)
Anyway, I have a few days left before I head back to SG, so I'm making sure I maximize every minute! Have a happy new year everyone! Be sure to make those new year resolutions, even if you don't keep them (try at least). =)
Happy Christmas
Happy Christmas
I'm home now, and it feels grrrreat! Never mind if long plane rides make my head spin.
Okay, so I've popped by this net cafe Net Xpress for a while to check my email mostly, and so I can squeeze in one tiny entry!
Well basically this one's just a quick MERRY CHRISTMAS greeting to everyone!
Have a truly happy one, you people. I wish I could take digital photos and upload them here, but Konica's still hogging my poor little camera. :)
Help me pray my grades are okay! December 26, 1pm! Happy holidays!
I'm home now, and it feels grrrreat! Never mind if long plane rides make my head spin.
Okay, so I've popped by this net cafe Net Xpress for a while to check my email mostly, and so I can squeeze in one tiny entry!
Well basically this one's just a quick MERRY CHRISTMAS greeting to everyone!
Have a truly happy one, you people. I wish I could take digital photos and upload them here, but Konica's still hogging my poor little camera. :)
Help me pray my grades are okay! December 26, 1pm! Happy holidays!
Homebound!
Homebound!
It's 2:27AM and I'm still blogging. To kill time I guess. Because at 9:15AM I'm gonna be flying home to Davao City, Philippines! Woohooooooooo!
I know I'm gonna miss Singapore a bit though. But I shouldn't, since I'm only gonna be gone for around three weeks!
So I may not be able to update this space too much in the coming days, unfortunately. But of course, you know blog addicts; we find ways. ;P (Besides, I'd have to bid for my modules online for next sem too) And also, isn't the previous entry loooong enough to last weeks? Hee.
Should get back to packing. I'm sleepy, actually, after some exhausting last-minute shopping session with Ivy at Bugis's commercial strip. Got myself an OP bag and Giordano drawstring shorts! Both 20% off! But as much as I want to get a good night's rest, I cannot and should not, since there's no more roommate to wake me up at 4AM. And I sure don't want to be left by the plane again. Hee.
Happy holidays everyone!
It's 2:27AM and I'm still blogging. To kill time I guess. Because at 9:15AM I'm gonna be flying home to Davao City, Philippines! Woohooooooooo!
I know I'm gonna miss Singapore a bit though. But I shouldn't, since I'm only gonna be gone for around three weeks!
So I may not be able to update this space too much in the coming days, unfortunately. But of course, you know blog addicts; we find ways. ;P (Besides, I'd have to bid for my modules online for next sem too) And also, isn't the previous entry loooong enough to last weeks? Hee.
Should get back to packing. I'm sleepy, actually, after some exhausting last-minute shopping session with Ivy at Bugis's commercial strip. Got myself an OP bag and Giordano drawstring shorts! Both 20% off! But as much as I want to get a good night's rest, I cannot and should not, since there's no more roommate to wake me up at 4AM. And I sure don't want to be left by the plane again. Hee.
Happy holidays everyone!
Photos galore!
Photos galore!
December 19 was photo day. It was the eve of Karen's birthday too (happy birthday you Karen you!), and we spent the day with fellow bass chorister Kundi at the Esplanade and later in Orchard for dinner.
This is supposed to be a short blog entry (short of text that is), and one of those extremely rare photoblog entries I make. My digicam is still at Konica for repair, so it was grrrrreat that Kundi the photography afficionado brought his cam!
***
What's wrong with these lovely pictures of the NUS Choir during their Esplanade Concourse performance? Stare at the photos carefully. Get the answer right and I'll kiss you.
Of course, what's wrong is that I'M NOT IN THEM! No-brainer question. =P
Hehe. These photos were taken on December 19th, the second day of the show. I had to sit it out since there were too many basses already (8 basses & 5 tenors), and not everyone was able to perform on the first day, the day I sang (See previous entry). It was fun playing audience though.. as much I wanted to sing. I <3 NUS Choir!
And yes, I'm gonna sleep more during the Christmas break to rid me of these zits from hell. Ugh.
***
After the two 30-minute sessions of the Choir, and while waiting for the Choir to get out of the dressing room, Karen and I took the opportunity to take photos of ourselves! And all right Karen, I (sadly) admit I'm no longer photogenic and yes I ruin the photos. Hmph. I still maintain though, that I'm the better photographer (nope, I shall not agree that Karen is photogenic haha). It takes a good photographer to bring out the right emotions, you know.
Nice ones right? In fact, for the last one, Karen agreed that the photo, for some reason, made her boobs bigger. Hah.
Look what photos Karen took of me gave in return.
Ugh. Karen messed my hair (don't fix it! she said), told me not to smile, because we were working on this new look: the smirk. I couldn't quite get it, because I'm a smiley not a smirkey. Okay, so maybe I'm not as camera-friendly anymore.
But wait, here's the worst shot of all. I dunno what on earth Karen was thinking. She didn't even mean to do it.
There. Joseph as Peter Rabbit.
But for some reason, Karen took a risk at a candid shot, and it was quite acceptable. ;)
Hah. Maybe I'll use this photo for my next blog template. =) I mean, even if it isn't superb, there are definitely worse pics.
Here's a shot of Karen and me. I took this photo because Karen's arm wasn't long enough. Hah.
***
By this time, Kundi arrived from the dressing room and took terrific photos. What can I say.
A pretty pink flower!
Some artist had an exhibit of his fiber glass creations. They're basically images of really big (read:fat) people with big heads and big body parts. Cool artwork, I must agree.
The beautiful Esplanade. It's pronounced /esplaneyd/, I insist. Also known as the durian, the bumblebee, or whatever else. Cool place.
Karen was playing around. I was harassed.
Me and the small but big city.
This one's cool. If you've seen CSI:New York, this could very well be one of the show's favorite shots. But of course, there's the Merlion and no Statue of Liberty.
To Jay. There actually was a ferry named Princess Jasper. Funny. At least your name's royalty, Jay. ;)
Oh, and here's some cotton candy.
We walked around, sat around, went to the Fullerton Hotel a.k.a. the Grandest Hotel in Singapore to take a leak (and it felt good!), went window shopping a bit.
On the way to City Link Mall to MRT Station to Orchard and to this cool outdoor resto, NYdC. We learned it stands for New York Dessert Cafe.
Whatever it means, it means this:
That's Mochamisu for Kundi, non-frightening Screamin' Demon Cheesecake for Karen (because Mango Tango Cheesecake was unavailable), and Irish Cream Coffee Elephanccino
with a scoop of Chocolate Chip ice cream for me. Terrific pasta too before this. Tres Amigos for both me and Kundi, and Karen went All-American. Their menu's the coolest.. I wanted to keep it as a collector's item! Or at least, it was an entertaining read with wacky pictures. NYdC's officially one of my new favorite places on Earth.
Wisdom nugget: Don't ever go to Orchard Road on the last Sunday before Christmas. It was swarming with people, and there was this parade too. I thought I was gonna drown in the see of people when we crossed the pedestrian lane. And of course: Don't even attempt to queue up for a cab at the taxi stand even if it's 11pm. Take the bus.
With all this said, happy birthday to Karen the Queen of "Cheesecakes".
(Note the quotation marks. Hah.)
Music of the Moment: Ding Dong Merrily on High
Currently feeling Christmassy of course!
December 19 was photo day. It was the eve of Karen's birthday too (happy birthday you Karen you!), and we spent the day with fellow bass chorister Kundi at the Esplanade and later in Orchard for dinner.
This is supposed to be a short blog entry (short of text that is), and one of those extremely rare photoblog entries I make. My digicam is still at Konica for repair, so it was grrrrreat that Kundi the photography afficionado brought his cam!
***
What's wrong with these lovely pictures of the NUS Choir during their Esplanade Concourse performance? Stare at the photos carefully. Get the answer right and I'll kiss you.
Of course, what's wrong is that I'M NOT IN THEM! No-brainer question. =P
Hehe. These photos were taken on December 19th, the second day of the show. I had to sit it out since there were too many basses already (8 basses & 5 tenors), and not everyone was able to perform on the first day, the day I sang (See previous entry). It was fun playing audience though.. as much I wanted to sing. I <3 NUS Choir!
And yes, I'm gonna sleep more during the Christmas break to rid me of these zits from hell. Ugh.
***
After the two 30-minute sessions of the Choir, and while waiting for the Choir to get out of the dressing room, Karen and I took the opportunity to take photos of ourselves! And all right Karen, I (sadly) admit I'm no longer photogenic and yes I ruin the photos. Hmph. I still maintain though, that I'm the better photographer (nope, I shall not agree that Karen is photogenic haha). It takes a good photographer to bring out the right emotions, you know.
Nice ones right? In fact, for the last one, Karen agreed that the photo, for some reason, made her boobs bigger. Hah.
Look what photos Karen took of me gave in return.
Ugh. Karen messed my hair (don't fix it! she said), told me not to smile, because we were working on this new look: the smirk. I couldn't quite get it, because I'm a smiley not a smirkey. Okay, so maybe I'm not as camera-friendly anymore.
But wait, here's the worst shot of all. I dunno what on earth Karen was thinking. She didn't even mean to do it.
There. Joseph as Peter Rabbit.
But for some reason, Karen took a risk at a candid shot, and it was quite acceptable. ;)
Hah. Maybe I'll use this photo for my next blog template. =) I mean, even if it isn't superb, there are definitely worse pics.
Here's a shot of Karen and me. I took this photo because Karen's arm wasn't long enough. Hah.
***
By this time, Kundi arrived from the dressing room and took terrific photos. What can I say.
A pretty pink flower!
Some artist had an exhibit of his fiber glass creations. They're basically images of really big (read:fat) people with big heads and big body parts. Cool artwork, I must agree.
The beautiful Esplanade. It's pronounced /esplaneyd/, I insist. Also known as the durian, the bumblebee, or whatever else. Cool place.
Karen was playing around. I was harassed.
Me and the small but big city.
This one's cool. If you've seen CSI:New York, this could very well be one of the show's favorite shots. But of course, there's the Merlion and no Statue of Liberty.
To Jay. There actually was a ferry named Princess Jasper. Funny. At least your name's royalty, Jay. ;)
Oh, and here's some cotton candy.
We walked around, sat around, went to the Fullerton Hotel a.k.a. the Grandest Hotel in Singapore to take a leak (and it felt good!), went window shopping a bit.
On the way to City Link Mall to MRT Station to Orchard and to this cool outdoor resto, NYdC. We learned it stands for New York Dessert Cafe.
Whatever it means, it means this:
That's Mochamisu for Kundi, non-frightening Screamin' Demon Cheesecake for Karen (because Mango Tango Cheesecake was unavailable), and Irish Cream Coffee Elephanccino
with a scoop of Chocolate Chip ice cream for me. Terrific pasta too before this. Tres Amigos for both me and Kundi, and Karen went All-American. Their menu's the coolest.. I wanted to keep it as a collector's item! Or at least, it was an entertaining read with wacky pictures. NYdC's officially one of my new favorite places on Earth.
Wisdom nugget: Don't ever go to Orchard Road on the last Sunday before Christmas. It was swarming with people, and there was this parade too. I thought I was gonna drown in the see of people when we crossed the pedestrian lane. And of course: Don't even attempt to queue up for a cab at the taxi stand even if it's 11pm. Take the bus.
With all this said, happy birthday to Karen the Queen of "Cheesecakes".
(Note the quotation marks. Hah.)
Music of the Moment: Ding Dong Merrily on High
Currently feeling Christmassy of course!
At the Esplanade Concourse
At the Esplanade Concourse
Yesterday the NUS Choir sang at the Esplanade Concourse. Nope, it's not the Esplanade Concert Hall, it's just the neat little free space outside it, in this posh comfy open area a few steps as you enter the main doors. It's like a big lobby of sorts, where they have all this artwork in frames, and some cheery Christmas decor including brightly-lit Christmas trees, and this cool abstract thingamajig (that's as descriptive as I can get haha) that greets visitors as soon as they step in.
It was an afternoon show, and we were set to sing for two 30-minute sessions at 3:30pm, and at 4:30 pm. It was crazy before the show. I was cursing the sudden rain which hindered me from leaving the hall. I had to take a cab, but luckily I saw alto sectional leader Josephine at the bus stop and so we shared the cab fare (Joseph and Josephine in the taxi =P). Goody, we were right on time at the designated meeting place. Minutes later, I saw NUS Choir President Wey Ling stressed like never before. And for good reason, too. The latecomers were, well, very late, and some not in full attire and make-up too, causing terrible inconvenience and undue tension since the dressing room wasn't easily accessible.
Some of the tenors also hadn't gone to the practices, and so they didn't have scores, or had to sing the songs without rehearsal at all. When our conductor Weiwei warmed us up in what few minutes we had before the actual performance, many of the tenors were busy talking or doing something else, causing Weiwei to be quite annoyed. I myself became a little irked by the arrogance and the come-what-may attitude of a few of them, but of course, being a newbie I couldn't quite complain.
We finally went up from the cool dressing room (it was so cool it had mirrors framed by some bright twenty bulbs like those we see on backstage footage on TV, this hotel-like washroom, and the lift leading to it could fit the entire choir), and proceeded to perform. We sang a total of 14 Christmas songs, mostly those hymn-like (no Frosty or Rudolph, but there's Silver Bells and White Christmas). It turned out rather funny. We sounded a bit off here and there, but the crowd which gathered seemed to appreciate it.
During the break, everyone was rather tense a bit. We knew we screwed up a little. Some said that the basses couldn't be heard (ouch) and that we basses were quite off in Gloria (double ouch). But I admit I was quite unsure with my notes, so I wasn't able to sing as loud and confident. And that Gloria song I never quite mastered the two verses in our single chop-chop practice. The tenors now had time to scribble the lyrics to the songs, and now some of them heard the songs. (Haha, really I have nothing much against them) Iris, who was doing the descant, this crazy soprano thing where one basically sings some melody in this very high pitch, and who, after being complimented that the descant sounded very beautifully in the indoor acoustics, confessed that she rushed through the other soprano parts and saved her energy for the "screaming" parts. Hee.
Weiwei was quite kind to us, critical but still encouraging, and we had a short warm-up again before the 4:30 performance. Kurien had to leave though, since he had to sing with Temasek Choir, so I was quite worried for the basses. Jeremy arrived from a wedding, and so the basses were complete once again. Kurien's leaving proved to be good for me (disclaimer: he sings very well and most definitely isn't one of the weaker links) because I was able to sing beside Lyndley, this kind guy who almost never gets lost in the songs. And sometimes that's all I need, someone to follow during times I get lost.
And yey, the second performance turned out great! Weiwei was visibly happy about it, as he commented "very good" or gave the thumbs up sign in between songs. He was smiling more too, (in fact smiling a little too much to make the choir smile too) and he seemed visibly pleased. The crowd was bigger too, the applause quite louder, and the choir seemed more confident and sang without any noticeable hiccups.
"More! More!" said some of the audience at the right side. Unforunately, we only had 30 minutes, so we just walked back to the dressing room heaving a collective sigh of relief.
***
I went to the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd for the sunset mass, then went to do some window-shopping at Raffles City, City Link, and finally Suntec City. No great finds still! I want to spend my money on something good and nice (and not-too-expensive too!) but apparently I have to look elsewhere. Had a double mushroom cheeseburger from Burger King for dinner, and I took Bus 10 to KR hall, feeling that my Christmas task here in Singapore is done, and it's about time I do some packing!
Music of the Moment: NUS Choir's Away in a Manger (hah!)
Currently feeling the Christmas spirit!
Yesterday the NUS Choir sang at the Esplanade Concourse. Nope, it's not the Esplanade Concert Hall, it's just the neat little free space outside it, in this posh comfy open area a few steps as you enter the main doors. It's like a big lobby of sorts, where they have all this artwork in frames, and some cheery Christmas decor including brightly-lit Christmas trees, and this cool abstract thingamajig (that's as descriptive as I can get haha) that greets visitors as soon as they step in.
It was an afternoon show, and we were set to sing for two 30-minute sessions at 3:30pm, and at 4:30 pm. It was crazy before the show. I was cursing the sudden rain which hindered me from leaving the hall. I had to take a cab, but luckily I saw alto sectional leader Josephine at the bus stop and so we shared the cab fare (Joseph and Josephine in the taxi =P). Goody, we were right on time at the designated meeting place. Minutes later, I saw NUS Choir President Wey Ling stressed like never before. And for good reason, too. The latecomers were, well, very late, and some not in full attire and make-up too, causing terrible inconvenience and undue tension since the dressing room wasn't easily accessible.
Some of the tenors also hadn't gone to the practices, and so they didn't have scores, or had to sing the songs without rehearsal at all. When our conductor Weiwei warmed us up in what few minutes we had before the actual performance, many of the tenors were busy talking or doing something else, causing Weiwei to be quite annoyed. I myself became a little irked by the arrogance and the come-what-may attitude of a few of them, but of course, being a newbie I couldn't quite complain.
We finally went up from the cool dressing room (it was so cool it had mirrors framed by some bright twenty bulbs like those we see on backstage footage on TV, this hotel-like washroom, and the lift leading to it could fit the entire choir), and proceeded to perform. We sang a total of 14 Christmas songs, mostly those hymn-like (no Frosty or Rudolph, but there's Silver Bells and White Christmas). It turned out rather funny. We sounded a bit off here and there, but the crowd which gathered seemed to appreciate it.
During the break, everyone was rather tense a bit. We knew we screwed up a little. Some said that the basses couldn't be heard (ouch) and that we basses were quite off in Gloria (double ouch). But I admit I was quite unsure with my notes, so I wasn't able to sing as loud and confident. And that Gloria song I never quite mastered the two verses in our single chop-chop practice. The tenors now had time to scribble the lyrics to the songs, and now some of them heard the songs. (Haha, really I have nothing much against them) Iris, who was doing the descant, this crazy soprano thing where one basically sings some melody in this very high pitch, and who, after being complimented that the descant sounded very beautifully in the indoor acoustics, confessed that she rushed through the other soprano parts and saved her energy for the "screaming" parts. Hee.
Weiwei was quite kind to us, critical but still encouraging, and we had a short warm-up again before the 4:30 performance. Kurien had to leave though, since he had to sing with Temasek Choir, so I was quite worried for the basses. Jeremy arrived from a wedding, and so the basses were complete once again. Kurien's leaving proved to be good for me (disclaimer: he sings very well and most definitely isn't one of the weaker links) because I was able to sing beside Lyndley, this kind guy who almost never gets lost in the songs. And sometimes that's all I need, someone to follow during times I get lost.
And yey, the second performance turned out great! Weiwei was visibly happy about it, as he commented "very good" or gave the thumbs up sign in between songs. He was smiling more too, (in fact smiling a little too much to make the choir smile too) and he seemed visibly pleased. The crowd was bigger too, the applause quite louder, and the choir seemed more confident and sang without any noticeable hiccups.
"More! More!" said some of the audience at the right side. Unforunately, we only had 30 minutes, so we just walked back to the dressing room heaving a collective sigh of relief.
***
I went to the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd for the sunset mass, then went to do some window-shopping at Raffles City, City Link, and finally Suntec City. No great finds still! I want to spend my money on something good and nice (and not-too-expensive too!) but apparently I have to look elsewhere. Had a double mushroom cheeseburger from Burger King for dinner, and I took Bus 10 to KR hall, feeling that my Christmas task here in Singapore is done, and it's about time I do some packing!
Music of the Moment: NUS Choir's Away in a Manger (hah!)
Currently feeling the Christmas spirit!
Not bored yet
Not bored yet
I like my holiday schedule this year. As much as I would love to go home to the Philippines ASAP (argh I've forever been waitlisted for the December 20 flight), it's also my decision to stay here in Singapore almost three weeks after the exams so I could go for choir carolling. And now, two weeks after my last exam and barely a week before I go home, I can say that I've never been bored just yet.
It's perfect really. I can sleep as long as I want, I download mp3s and TV shows, and when I feel I'm slowly sinking to Bored mode, suddenly something pops up! So I had some carolling practices, and that Choir performance at Safra. Then it was a lull again, and then suddenly I have to send off friends to the airport and later go out with friends to Orchard or Funan to do some window-shopping. Then later still, after some rest and sleep overdose, my editor reminds us members of the Ridge's Outspoken desk to write our stuff for the January issue! Something to keep me busy again. And even if I feel like bumming around because of lethargy, my uber-flexible schedule allows me to do so! And still, I managed to finish it on time! Great, isn't it? And when that article's finally done (specifically last night), I then have new choir practices for the Esplanade Concourse performance on Saturday! Hah. Like what I've told Karen, who's earning 42 bucks every day that she works at the Guild House, even if I'm unpaid, I'm a professional singer now, and I'm quite booked. HAHAHA. I talk crap sometimes. Hee.
Well today we had another rushed Choir practice for Saturday's carolling session. I was booted out of the Sunday performance, by the way, since only 20 at a time will be performing in the sessions on both weekend days, and they're giving the others a chance to sing as well. Anyway, Christmas carols are so uplifting! So cheerful and happy I'm enjoying every moment we sing! Hee. Choirs are getting paid quite well to sing a few songs you know, so I thought that I should enjoy our own singing as if I were part of the audience.
Then later at 3:30pm, Karen and I headed for Orchard to do some shopping of sorts. We don't exactly know what we're looking for, but it's either a vanity item for ourselves or Christmas gifts to folks back home, whichever is found first. Hehe. Well today, we didn't even find any good shirts or shoes or bags to buy (or skirts in Karen's case), but we instead bought wristcuffs at The Heeren! Hah. Karen and her contagious impulsive shopping. Lots of nice items over there, but it's either they're not just my taste, or they're too expensive as expected. Besides, I'm bordering on broke so I'm not totally motivated. ;) I hope what Karen told me about wristcuffs being suitable for tall guys with long arms is true. Hah.
Karen left early though, at around 6:30, since she had taekwondo training. I walked and walked again and searched the shops in Heeren and Takashimaya until my feet got sore and my head felt dizzy, and then I finally decided to go home at 8:30pm, of course not forgetting my Cherry Slurpee from 7/11 and to take away my dinner from the Taka foodcourt. And guess what kind of dinner it was? Hah, Japanese food of course.
Tomorrow the NUS Choir will practice again at Lingwei's house in Clementi. I'm thinking about going out again to look for Christmas gift items (this time at Tanglin Plaza or Bugis) after the practice, but I'm not decided yet. I'm running out of time to do my Christmas gift shopping! Hope you understand, Ma, Dad, Kai, Lolas! But for sure I'm gonna buy a Christmas item for myself. Bwahaha, I've turned evil, what can I say. =P
Music of the Moment: NUS Choir's White Christmas (hehe)
Currently feeling happily tired.
I like my holiday schedule this year. As much as I would love to go home to the Philippines ASAP (argh I've forever been waitlisted for the December 20 flight), it's also my decision to stay here in Singapore almost three weeks after the exams so I could go for choir carolling. And now, two weeks after my last exam and barely a week before I go home, I can say that I've never been bored just yet.
It's perfect really. I can sleep as long as I want, I download mp3s and TV shows, and when I feel I'm slowly sinking to Bored mode, suddenly something pops up! So I had some carolling practices, and that Choir performance at Safra. Then it was a lull again, and then suddenly I have to send off friends to the airport and later go out with friends to Orchard or Funan to do some window-shopping. Then later still, after some rest and sleep overdose, my editor reminds us members of the Ridge's Outspoken desk to write our stuff for the January issue! Something to keep me busy again. And even if I feel like bumming around because of lethargy, my uber-flexible schedule allows me to do so! And still, I managed to finish it on time! Great, isn't it? And when that article's finally done (specifically last night), I then have new choir practices for the Esplanade Concourse performance on Saturday! Hah. Like what I've told Karen, who's earning 42 bucks every day that she works at the Guild House, even if I'm unpaid, I'm a professional singer now, and I'm quite booked. HAHAHA. I talk crap sometimes. Hee.
Well today we had another rushed Choir practice for Saturday's carolling session. I was booted out of the Sunday performance, by the way, since only 20 at a time will be performing in the sessions on both weekend days, and they're giving the others a chance to sing as well. Anyway, Christmas carols are so uplifting! So cheerful and happy I'm enjoying every moment we sing! Hee. Choirs are getting paid quite well to sing a few songs you know, so I thought that I should enjoy our own singing as if I were part of the audience.
Then later at 3:30pm, Karen and I headed for Orchard to do some shopping of sorts. We don't exactly know what we're looking for, but it's either a vanity item for ourselves or Christmas gifts to folks back home, whichever is found first. Hehe. Well today, we didn't even find any good shirts or shoes or bags to buy (or skirts in Karen's case), but we instead bought wristcuffs at The Heeren! Hah. Karen and her contagious impulsive shopping. Lots of nice items over there, but it's either they're not just my taste, or they're too expensive as expected. Besides, I'm bordering on broke so I'm not totally motivated. ;) I hope what Karen told me about wristcuffs being suitable for tall guys with long arms is true. Hah.
Karen left early though, at around 6:30, since she had taekwondo training. I walked and walked again and searched the shops in Heeren and Takashimaya until my feet got sore and my head felt dizzy, and then I finally decided to go home at 8:30pm, of course not forgetting my Cherry Slurpee from 7/11 and to take away my dinner from the Taka foodcourt. And guess what kind of dinner it was? Hah, Japanese food of course.
Tomorrow the NUS Choir will practice again at Lingwei's house in Clementi. I'm thinking about going out again to look for Christmas gift items (this time at Tanglin Plaza or Bugis) after the practice, but I'm not decided yet. I'm running out of time to do my Christmas gift shopping! Hope you understand, Ma, Dad, Kai, Lolas! But for sure I'm gonna buy a Christmas item for myself. Bwahaha, I've turned evil, what can I say. =P
Music of the Moment: NUS Choir's White Christmas (hehe)
Currently feeling happily tired.
Choir chalet
Choir chalet
New word of the week: Chalet. Hah. I'd be the first to flat-out admit when I don't know something, and I'm rather proud of this trait. So as much as I tend to play around with words, I admit that my vocab isn't as large as some may think. Must read more. Or play crossword. ;)
Anyway, a chalet is, from what I gather, is a small holiday house of sorts, and that's what the NUS Choir got for itself at Sentosa last night. Funny, the whole outing at Sentosa was interchangeably called Choir Chalet/Choir Camp. Anyway, it was rather quick, but it was fun. =P
Remember how I worried a bit about my choir buddy buddies not being there? Well, they weren't! In fact, it was an estrogen-fueled event! (not that I'm complaining though) The girls dominated the whole thing, while I could only count the guys with my fingers. And we know that choir girls and guys have serious getting-to-know-you's to do, as they tend to stick with their sectional groups. And I was the only Year 1 guy there until Weiwei (from the other group Tenors too) came at around 5pm. And did I tell you I was the only non-Chinese guy too? But what I thought would be The Camp Joseph Turned Loner didn't quite happen, and I'm glad.
I was in loner mode, though, for the first parts. Only two other guys (and both seniors too)showed up at Harbourfront Interchange at 1pm, and there were more than 12 girls! The rest either went ahead a few , or were going on their own. The girls didn't quite know me, save for the higher-ups (naks), since we all have to talk to them right?
Anyway, it was a quick camp. Chop-chop Choir Chalet, I'd like to call it. I'm not absolutely sure, but chop-chop in Singlish is something like quick or pronto. Anyway, we had 2 exhausting sand games, which Team 2 both won (yey!). There was this crazy tele-match, where we had to endure 9 stations, which spanned a good length of beach, and then for the final station, we had to run across the hanging bridge (yes to the supposed Southernmost tip of Continental Asia), get into our respective tower (of sorts) to search for this tiny figurine of a soccer guy and run back! Exhausting, but fun. Had to strip a bit, since we needed my shorts and shirt (good thing I was wearing my short shorts inside for swimming, which we all never got around to do, btw) for some stations. That tele-match sucked the life out of me I tell you, all that running and digging and squeezing and blowing and balancing and golf-ball-passing and rubber-band-passing and needle-threading and duck-walking-with-feet-tied, and frantic searching -- but we won! And we didn't have to do the forfeit of going back to the hanging bridge and spelling something over and over with our butts. Yey.
After a couple of sand games we went back to the chalet. God it was a moviefest, a Survivor marathon (finale of Vanuatu.. I hate it when bad guys win [bad in the not-good-natured sense]), and crazy card games and mahjong. We watched The Incredibles (so incrrrredibly cute!), Shrek 1 (first time I saw it from start to end =P), The Glass House (we were waiting for something scary to happen but it never came), and everyone's favorite Korean movie, My Sassy Girl (FINALLY I GET TO WATCH IT!). It wasn't an all-the-way moviethon though, since we were alternately eating, watching TV, playing cards, mahjong, cooking/eating, playing some party games, or just talking.
So it was all night. While a few slept, it was an all-nighter for many of us. It was past 6am already when My Sassy Girl finished, so many of us decided to go for a walk down the beach. It was a most relaxing walk, I must say. I liked it so much I went for a round on my own too, even as the girls were inviting me back to the chalet already. No picturesque sunrise though, as the clouds were thick.
Many people had already left by 7am in the morning (a number also left during the night), and since VP ShiHui confirmed that there'll be no more activities for the day and that we had to checkout by 11am, the group of first years decided to go home and get some sleep. So at around 7:30, Shelley, Janice, Xiuyin, Huiyin, Iris, Huijun, Weiwei and myself made our way to Harbourfront interchange. Huijun and Weiwei were being extra friendly with each other the entire camp. Hmm.. blossoming romance I don't know.;)
Hmm.. I hope Lyndley uploads the photos soon! Argh I really miss my digicam now.
My arms and legs are still aching from the tele-match, and my eyes still sore from lack of sleep, but it's all worth it.
Music of the moment: Jamie Cullum's Everlasting Love (from Bridget Jones 2)
Currently feeling sore in the legs and arms.
New word of the week: Chalet. Hah. I'd be the first to flat-out admit when I don't know something, and I'm rather proud of this trait. So as much as I tend to play around with words, I admit that my vocab isn't as large as some may think. Must read more. Or play crossword. ;)
Anyway, a chalet is, from what I gather, is a small holiday house of sorts, and that's what the NUS Choir got for itself at Sentosa last night. Funny, the whole outing at Sentosa was interchangeably called Choir Chalet/Choir Camp. Anyway, it was rather quick, but it was fun. =P
Remember how I worried a bit about my choir buddy buddies not being there? Well, they weren't! In fact, it was an estrogen-fueled event! (not that I'm complaining though) The girls dominated the whole thing, while I could only count the guys with my fingers. And we know that choir girls and guys have serious getting-to-know-you's to do, as they tend to stick with their sectional groups. And I was the only Year 1 guy there until Weiwei (from the other group Tenors too) came at around 5pm. And did I tell you I was the only non-Chinese guy too? But what I thought would be The Camp Joseph Turned Loner didn't quite happen, and I'm glad.
I was in loner mode, though, for the first parts. Only two other guys (and both seniors too)showed up at Harbourfront Interchange at 1pm, and there were more than 12 girls! The rest either went ahead a few , or were going on their own. The girls didn't quite know me, save for the higher-ups (naks), since we all have to talk to them right?
Anyway, it was a quick camp. Chop-chop Choir Chalet, I'd like to call it. I'm not absolutely sure, but chop-chop in Singlish is something like quick or pronto. Anyway, we had 2 exhausting sand games, which Team 2 both won (yey!). There was this crazy tele-match, where we had to endure 9 stations, which spanned a good length of beach, and then for the final station, we had to run across the hanging bridge (yes to the supposed Southernmost tip of Continental Asia), get into our respective tower (of sorts) to search for this tiny figurine of a soccer guy and run back! Exhausting, but fun. Had to strip a bit, since we needed my shorts and shirt (good thing I was wearing my short shorts inside for swimming, which we all never got around to do, btw) for some stations. That tele-match sucked the life out of me I tell you, all that running and digging and squeezing and blowing and balancing and golf-ball-passing and rubber-band-passing and needle-threading and duck-walking-with-feet-tied, and frantic searching -- but we won! And we didn't have to do the forfeit of going back to the hanging bridge and spelling something over and over with our butts. Yey.
After a couple of sand games we went back to the chalet. God it was a moviefest, a Survivor marathon (finale of Vanuatu.. I hate it when bad guys win [bad in the not-good-natured sense]), and crazy card games and mahjong. We watched The Incredibles (so incrrrredibly cute!), Shrek 1 (first time I saw it from start to end =P), The Glass House (we were waiting for something scary to happen but it never came), and everyone's favorite Korean movie, My Sassy Girl (FINALLY I GET TO WATCH IT!). It wasn't an all-the-way moviethon though, since we were alternately eating, watching TV, playing cards, mahjong, cooking/eating, playing some party games, or just talking.
So it was all night. While a few slept, it was an all-nighter for many of us. It was past 6am already when My Sassy Girl finished, so many of us decided to go for a walk down the beach. It was a most relaxing walk, I must say. I liked it so much I went for a round on my own too, even as the girls were inviting me back to the chalet already. No picturesque sunrise though, as the clouds were thick.
Many people had already left by 7am in the morning (a number also left during the night), and since VP ShiHui confirmed that there'll be no more activities for the day and that we had to checkout by 11am, the group of first years decided to go home and get some sleep. So at around 7:30, Shelley, Janice, Xiuyin, Huiyin, Iris, Huijun, Weiwei and myself made our way to Harbourfront interchange. Huijun and Weiwei were being extra friendly with each other the entire camp. Hmm.. blossoming romance I don't know.;)
Hmm.. I hope Lyndley uploads the photos soon! Argh I really miss my digicam now.
My arms and legs are still aching from the tele-match, and my eyes still sore from lack of sleep, but it's all worth it.
Music of the moment: Jamie Cullum's Everlasting Love (from Bridget Jones 2)
Currently feeling sore in the legs and arms.
Promise kept!
Promise kept!
Hah! Who would've thought I'd make it? Well there you have it, I've refrained from blogging as promised. And ahem, there's my 561-word article for the Ridge, surely more than 75% done, right? Now, with that article 3/4 done as I aimed, I can finally blog. Hee.
They were long days, I tell you, those two blogless days. Not because I didn't blog (I'm trying to control the addiction), but because I've been banging my head on the wall just to churn out ideas for the article I'm writing! I emailed my perennially cheerful editor Nurul about my two ideas, and she chose one, and not without giving me sensible advice about my writing. Hit me right smack in the head! Now it all made sense, why and how my English skills let me down on three crucial occasions. I've been thinking about those things, actually, but sometimes we just need someone to bop you on the head once in a while, and say aloud what you've been half-denying all this time. Thanks Nurul, for sending me back to earth. =)
And so it was. I was stuck in the room figuring out what to write and how to say it, although often distracted by MSN, YM, internet, TV shows. I had four happy distractions though, courtesy of YM: Kirth, Lyn, Kristia, and Erine. My high school girl friends! Girl_friends, I repeat! Kirth is such a sweetie, and so into volunteer social work now in UP (Univ of Phils)! And she digs this guy she met during charity work. Yiheee. To Erine, welcome to the world of Yahoo Messenger! Hehe. So righteous this girl, and I'm glad she's very active in her church. As for Lyn and Kristia, haha, they coincidentally replied to my YM nick Inspiration badly needed(referring to my lack of drive to write the article). On separate occasions, Krish suddenly messaged, Present!, while Lyn replied, I'm here I'm here!. Hah those girls. Thanks for inspiring me! Although I kinda stalled in my writing task while chatting with you. Hehe.
My right toes are sore. Been walking around all day. Went to Church at Clementi 12:15, and found my way to Harbourfront Center in an attempt to do some shopping for myself, or buy some Christmas gifts for my family at home. Harbourfront's quite a neat place, but maybe I'm too choosy or the stuff to pricey. End result: I just bought some bananas and bread and some liver spread at Cold Storage. Hah. Funny, the Bossini shop in Clementi has even better items than those in Harbourfront?
Since it was almost 5pm when I left Harbourfront Center, I decided to tapau (take away) my dinner, because finding dinner around campus has been quite tiring since vacation started (And it was raining too). And of course, not wanting to spoil my day at Harbourfront, I got myself some good Japanese food! Isn't Jap food just heavenly? Or is it just my tummy's internal configuration that's so compatible with Jap food? Well whatever it is, a day that ends with Jap food is always a good day. Wheeee.
Choir chalet tomorrow at Sentosa! I have no sunblock though, so please let tomorrow be a cloudy day. Yey!
Now to wrap up that blasted article, and finish downloading some Will and Grace eps.. ;)
Music of the Moment: Joss Stone's Super Duper Love
Currently feeling hungry for more Jap food! =P
Hah! Who would've thought I'd make it? Well there you have it, I've refrained from blogging as promised. And ahem, there's my 561-word article for the Ridge, surely more than 75% done, right? Now, with that article 3/4 done as I aimed, I can finally blog. Hee.
They were long days, I tell you, those two blogless days. Not because I didn't blog (I'm trying to control the addiction), but because I've been banging my head on the wall just to churn out ideas for the article I'm writing! I emailed my perennially cheerful editor Nurul about my two ideas, and she chose one, and not without giving me sensible advice about my writing. Hit me right smack in the head! Now it all made sense, why and how my English skills let me down on three crucial occasions. I've been thinking about those things, actually, but sometimes we just need someone to bop you on the head once in a while, and say aloud what you've been half-denying all this time. Thanks Nurul, for sending me back to earth. =)
And so it was. I was stuck in the room figuring out what to write and how to say it, although often distracted by MSN, YM, internet, TV shows. I had four happy distractions though, courtesy of YM: Kirth, Lyn, Kristia, and Erine. My high school girl friends! Girl_friends, I repeat! Kirth is such a sweetie, and so into volunteer social work now in UP (Univ of Phils)! And she digs this guy she met during charity work. Yiheee. To Erine, welcome to the world of Yahoo Messenger! Hehe. So righteous this girl, and I'm glad she's very active in her church. As for Lyn and Kristia, haha, they coincidentally replied to my YM nick Inspiration badly needed(referring to my lack of drive to write the article). On separate occasions, Krish suddenly messaged, Present!, while Lyn replied, I'm here I'm here!. Hah those girls. Thanks for inspiring me! Although I kinda stalled in my writing task while chatting with you. Hehe.
My right toes are sore. Been walking around all day. Went to Church at Clementi 12:15, and found my way to Harbourfront Center in an attempt to do some shopping for myself, or buy some Christmas gifts for my family at home. Harbourfront's quite a neat place, but maybe I'm too choosy or the stuff to pricey. End result: I just bought some bananas and bread and some liver spread at Cold Storage. Hah. Funny, the Bossini shop in Clementi has even better items than those in Harbourfront?
Since it was almost 5pm when I left Harbourfront Center, I decided to tapau (take away) my dinner, because finding dinner around campus has been quite tiring since vacation started (And it was raining too). And of course, not wanting to spoil my day at Harbourfront, I got myself some good Japanese food! Isn't Jap food just heavenly? Or is it just my tummy's internal configuration that's so compatible with Jap food? Well whatever it is, a day that ends with Jap food is always a good day. Wheeee.
Choir chalet tomorrow at Sentosa! I have no sunblock though, so please let tomorrow be a cloudy day. Yey!
Now to wrap up that blasted article, and finish downloading some Will and Grace eps.. ;)
Music of the Moment: Joss Stone's Super Duper Love
Currently feeling hungry for more Jap food! =P
Productive, sort of
Productive, sort of
Well, that's if you count sleeping as productive. Ivy totally agrees with me, as we both know that sleep was a luxury all students had to give up during the exams some weeks ago. Now that nothing's hindering me from taking my sweet time, I got large doses of sleep this morning and this afternoon, in effect rendering me nocturnal (as usual -- stupid body clock needs serious adjustment).
But really, I was quite productive. I managed to do something that's terribly overdue: EMAIL! I've sent some 7 emails or so today to my different yahoogroups, and to my editor Nurul at the Ridge's Outspoken desk. I've turned painfully silent in my yahoogroups, and easily qualified for the all-read-no-write club, and now that my conscience could bear it no longer, I finally posted. And note that I usually write long emails, so it was quite an accomplishment (although I'm proud to say I'm getting better at trimming them).
I also managed to clear out my mountain of laundry! Ahh.. I just love it when the bars for hanging clothes just outside my room are laden with jeans and shirts and shorts and underwear. Hee. And I've washed my utensils and fixed up my room a bit! Proud of myself.
About the REAL task at hand, though, which is to write the article for the Ridge, let's just say I'm still uninspired. God knows so many thoughts have been zooming in and out of my head in my search of good topic and content, but so far I'm still stumped. Or maybe I'm just too lazy to act on the two random ideas I'm seriously considering right now. Oh well. Tomorrow's THE day, and there'll be no more blasted excuses, you Joseph you.
The NUS Choir chalet is gonna be at Sentosa on the 13th! Two days and one night. I checked the forum and it turns out my few buddy-buddies in choir aren't turning up! Derence has some Church Camp (although he already paid and signed up), Charles has a research presentation, Swee Shean is busy with some research, and even Michael and Kurien's names aren't on the list! (Jeremy is going though, but sometimes he's too much of a loner and pessimistic know-it-all even for me.) See, I don't get to really connect with the fellas at the Choir since we sing most of the time. And some people tend to be clique-ish, so that's that. Or they're more comfy speaking Mandarin? Anyway, do I sense a challenge to my social skills? Haha, I'm thick-skinned anyway, so I might as well utilize it to the fullest. Would be more fun if everyone could come though.
It's past two AM and it's about time I get myself some sleep again. But I'm gonna make a promise, though -- that I won't blog until I'm done with 75% of my article. Hah. I could never work without a soon-enough deadline.
Good night!
Music of the moment: Jason Mraz's Sleep All Day (live version)
Currently feeling excited about tomorrow's accomplishments! Yeah!
Well, that's if you count sleeping as productive. Ivy totally agrees with me, as we both know that sleep was a luxury all students had to give up during the exams some weeks ago. Now that nothing's hindering me from taking my sweet time, I got large doses of sleep this morning and this afternoon, in effect rendering me nocturnal (as usual -- stupid body clock needs serious adjustment).
But really, I was quite productive. I managed to do something that's terribly overdue: EMAIL! I've sent some 7 emails or so today to my different yahoogroups, and to my editor Nurul at the Ridge's Outspoken desk. I've turned painfully silent in my yahoogroups, and easily qualified for the all-read-no-write club, and now that my conscience could bear it no longer, I finally posted. And note that I usually write long emails, so it was quite an accomplishment (although I'm proud to say I'm getting better at trimming them).
I also managed to clear out my mountain of laundry! Ahh.. I just love it when the bars for hanging clothes just outside my room are laden with jeans and shirts and shorts and underwear. Hee. And I've washed my utensils and fixed up my room a bit! Proud of myself.
About the REAL task at hand, though, which is to write the article for the Ridge, let's just say I'm still uninspired. God knows so many thoughts have been zooming in and out of my head in my search of good topic and content, but so far I'm still stumped. Or maybe I'm just too lazy to act on the two random ideas I'm seriously considering right now. Oh well. Tomorrow's THE day, and there'll be no more blasted excuses, you Joseph you.
The NUS Choir chalet is gonna be at Sentosa on the 13th! Two days and one night. I checked the forum and it turns out my few buddy-buddies in choir aren't turning up! Derence has some Church Camp (although he already paid and signed up), Charles has a research presentation, Swee Shean is busy with some research, and even Michael and Kurien's names aren't on the list! (Jeremy is going though, but sometimes he's too much of a loner and pessimistic know-it-all even for me.) See, I don't get to really connect with the fellas at the Choir since we sing most of the time. And some people tend to be clique-ish, so that's that. Or they're more comfy speaking Mandarin? Anyway, do I sense a challenge to my social skills? Haha, I'm thick-skinned anyway, so I might as well utilize it to the fullest. Would be more fun if everyone could come though.
It's past two AM and it's about time I get myself some sleep again. But I'm gonna make a promise, though -- that I won't blog until I'm done with 75% of my article. Hah. I could never work without a soon-enough deadline.
Good night!
Music of the moment: Jason Mraz's Sleep All Day (live version)
Currently feeling excited about tomorrow's accomplishments! Yeah!
Touchy
Touchy
Charles, a friend from the NUS Choir, messaged me again. He's been messaging me almost everytime he catches me on MSN. And it's the same old thing. He complains about how stressed he is. It's either he's ranting about how tough it is to be in Med School, how sucky his tests were, or how his practices for the Singapore Youth Choir's Christmas Concert have turned out really bad and how he hasn't memorized the Polish and Italian songs and how poor the ticket sales are.
Just now, he messaged to tell me about his, in his own words, "same ol' whining". He's overwhelmed that the concert is in two weeks' time, and how next week will be packed with rehearsals and practices every single day.
Charles, as much as I'd like to help you cheer up, I'm afraid I'm getting tired of saying the same cheer-up-you'll-figure-something-out lines over and over again. They were sincere, trust me, and they still are, but I'm running out of positive energy I think you'd have to find new sources to dispel your negative vibe.
I was feeling a little touchy today, even if I had a good overdose of sleep, and I'm not sure why. Perhaps today was just the day that my saturation point was reached, when I could no longer afford any more drama or any extra tolerance for unpleasant remarks (however half-meant). I cannot be a shock absorber for too long.
Even the Amazing Race failed to cheer me up.
Still, there are a few bright spots. Karen and I are okay now (I think), I was able to help Jay out with his research through our YM chat, I read a few pages of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, I finally applied for a debit card at DBS bank (yey I'm gonna get a Mastercard!), I was able to send this important email, I did some laundry and cleaned my room a bit, and I got a big bag of relief goods a.k.a. left-over goods (noodles, chips, chocolate, biscuits) from the Atenean exchange students who've just left (Thanks Arthur!).
See, I told you I'd be productive somehow. Doesn't make feel any less touchy though. But that's okay, we'll see what happens after a good night's sleep. As the Brothers Grimm say, morning is wiser than evening. Good night!
Music of the Moment: Rivermaya's Shiver
Currently feeling irritable, but maybe I'm just sleepy.
Charles, a friend from the NUS Choir, messaged me again. He's been messaging me almost everytime he catches me on MSN. And it's the same old thing. He complains about how stressed he is. It's either he's ranting about how tough it is to be in Med School, how sucky his tests were, or how his practices for the Singapore Youth Choir's Christmas Concert have turned out really bad and how he hasn't memorized the Polish and Italian songs and how poor the ticket sales are.
Just now, he messaged to tell me about his, in his own words, "same ol' whining". He's overwhelmed that the concert is in two weeks' time, and how next week will be packed with rehearsals and practices every single day.
Charles, as much as I'd like to help you cheer up, I'm afraid I'm getting tired of saying the same cheer-up-you'll-figure-something-out lines over and over again. They were sincere, trust me, and they still are, but I'm running out of positive energy I think you'd have to find new sources to dispel your negative vibe.
I was feeling a little touchy today, even if I had a good overdose of sleep, and I'm not sure why. Perhaps today was just the day that my saturation point was reached, when I could no longer afford any more drama or any extra tolerance for unpleasant remarks (however half-meant). I cannot be a shock absorber for too long.
Even the Amazing Race failed to cheer me up.
Still, there are a few bright spots. Karen and I are okay now (I think), I was able to help Jay out with his research through our YM chat, I read a few pages of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, I finally applied for a debit card at DBS bank (yey I'm gonna get a Mastercard!), I was able to send this important email, I did some laundry and cleaned my room a bit, and I got a big bag of relief goods a.k.a. left-over goods (noodles, chips, chocolate, biscuits) from the Atenean exchange students who've just left (Thanks Arthur!).
See, I told you I'd be productive somehow. Doesn't make feel any less touchy though. But that's okay, we'll see what happens after a good night's sleep. As the Brothers Grimm say, morning is wiser than evening. Good night!
Music of the Moment: Rivermaya's Shiver
Currently feeling irritable, but maybe I'm just sleepy.
Good news
Good news
Dear Bloggie,
I have some great news for you, which just arrived through email. Haha, lately it's from email that I get all these good news! But then again, I receive my grades through email too, and the release date this sem is ironically gonna be around 25th of December, so I'm not sure about "good news" just yet. Hah.
Anyway, this fresh news is grrrreat actually, but we have to keep it hush-hush for now. Don't want to jinx it you know. But one thing's for sure, blogster, we're in this together. Haha.
My article for the Ridge is still short by about 97% of content, my room's still a mess, but I indulged in some auditory/visual treats! FINALLY, the OC's ep 4 was downloaded (no thanks to Bit Torrent..I love Ares) and surprise surprise, it was a happy episode! Haha. About time they broke the string of depressing episodes.;) I hate spoilers, you know that, but I'll say this one was such a sweeeeeet episode with just the right amount of sarcasm (which I totally enjoy since I was once called Mr. Sarcastic) and wit and humor and crazy teenage hiccups and hookups. Man, I've fallen in love too with the soundtrack yet again. Surprise music find of the day: On Your Way by The Album Leaf. Totally rocks this song, as much as it sounds lazy and wistful and dreamy. Rocks especially the way they used it in this ep. It plays at just the right moments. No spoilers I told you. Hee.. teenage stuff. Don't worry, I'll outgrow this. Not too soon I hope, though. Happy to be 18, thanks. =P
And so passes another day. Quite a relaxing day. I'm gonna be productive tomorrow, I promise.
Music of the moment: Sheryl Crow's Sweet Child O' Mine and The Album Leaf's On Your Way
Currently feeling relaxed.
Dear Bloggie,
I have some great news for you, which just arrived through email. Haha, lately it's from email that I get all these good news! But then again, I receive my grades through email too, and the release date this sem is ironically gonna be around 25th of December, so I'm not sure about "good news" just yet. Hah.
Anyway, this fresh news is grrrreat actually, but we have to keep it hush-hush for now. Don't want to jinx it you know. But one thing's for sure, blogster, we're in this together. Haha.
My article for the Ridge is still short by about 97% of content, my room's still a mess, but I indulged in some auditory/visual treats! FINALLY, the OC's ep 4 was downloaded (no thanks to Bit Torrent..I love Ares) and surprise surprise, it was a happy episode! Haha. About time they broke the string of depressing episodes.;) I hate spoilers, you know that, but I'll say this one was such a sweeeeeet episode with just the right amount of sarcasm (which I totally enjoy since I was once called Mr. Sarcastic) and wit and humor and crazy teenage hiccups and hookups. Man, I've fallen in love too with the soundtrack yet again. Surprise music find of the day: On Your Way by The Album Leaf. Totally rocks this song, as much as it sounds lazy and wistful and dreamy. Rocks especially the way they used it in this ep. It plays at just the right moments. No spoilers I told you. Hee.. teenage stuff. Don't worry, I'll outgrow this. Not too soon I hope, though. Happy to be 18, thanks. =P
And so passes another day. Quite a relaxing day. I'm gonna be productive tomorrow, I promise.
Music of the moment: Sheryl Crow's Sweet Child O' Mine and The Album Leaf's On Your Way
Currently feeling relaxed.
Low Disk Space
Low Disk Space
Still in the same sticky situation I was in the previous post (made just an hour or so ago), I braced myself for what seemed to be another streak of bad luck.
As I was downloading the fourth episode of the OC 2 through Bit Torrent, this annoying pop-up message appeared again on my laptop screen: Low Disk Space. It was the red one this time. (There are three of them messages, which I hope you never receive: blue [around 100MB left], yellow [less than 50MB or something] and red [critically low disk space of around 10MB or 1MB or 0MB even]). Having already ignored the blue and yellow messages already, because of my stupid pragmatic reasoning that what the heck, OC will be downloaded anyway, I could no longer simply brush off this red flag. The programs began to hang, the mp3 playing was becoming choppy, and the computer was virtually crippled.
I was choiceless. I finally (and reluctantly) clicked the Disk Cleanup button, and agreed to remove unnecessary programs to free up disk space. I didn't need to do so in the past months, as I've been testing the computer's storage limits by leaving space for at most only 2 TV show downloads, deleting them after viewing, and then downloading new episodes. It all went well for a while, but apparently, my music downloads have now used up the videos' space, and some programs may have to be sacrificed.
My ever-reliable Ares file-sharing program seemed to stand out as a major space consumer at 1GB+. As much as I use it all the time to download stuff, I realized I could delete it as I secured two versions after the older one screwed up. Brilliant, I thought. I could simply delete one copy to clear space, and still use the other for more downloads.
And so I excitedly clicked Uninstall button, and patiently waited as the uninstaller dutifully reported the steps of the process onscreen. OC coming up, I thought excitedly. Yey.
It took about two seconds before it hit me. MY FREAKIN' FILES IN THE SHARED FOLDER!!!
I clicked the X at the upper right corner of the screen, clicked the Cancel button, clicked the X button again, and over and over again, as a sense of panic washed over me like cold water.
But what the hell. The computer's memory was too busy, as it didn't even recognize my attempts to stop the process. And so, like any obedient computer, it flashed the steps of the process it just completed. In the list, I saw what seemed to be one of the most painful messages I've read in my life.
...
Removing My Shared Folder.. Done.
...
Noooooooo, I had said aloud.
I was crushed. goodbye to my downloaded 1500+ files in there. Mostly mp3's, some videos, documents and all. Resigned, I thought I was about to cry. Haha. It felt sucky since I earlier just transferred the new files from the other shared folder into this one to get rid of duplicates.
Pained, I opened my Windows Media Player to try to check if the files would still play. I grabbed a notebook, so I could list the mp3 files I wanted back, so I could painstakingly download all 1502 music files.
I clicked to play Tell Me How You Feel by Joy Enriquez, and waited with bated breath as the screen read, Opening Media, requiring me to wait. I half-expected it to say, as it did in a few other occasions: Cannot locate source file or disk.
But it didn't! Haha! And before i knew it, the R&B song was playing na! Haha. I wanted to jump with joy! God is good! Oh happy day!
Well now I'm happy. I called home, talked to Ma and Dad and Kai, chatted a bit with Brice who's at home in the Philippines already (grounded though haha), and good buddy Jay too for a while, and read some happy emails from my yahoogroups.
Hah. I told you it doesn't take much to make me happy. Well that's the drama of my life.
Still in the same sticky situation I was in the previous post (made just an hour or so ago), I braced myself for what seemed to be another streak of bad luck.
As I was downloading the fourth episode of the OC 2 through Bit Torrent, this annoying pop-up message appeared again on my laptop screen: Low Disk Space. It was the red one this time. (There are three of them messages, which I hope you never receive: blue [around 100MB left], yellow [less than 50MB or something] and red [critically low disk space of around 10MB or 1MB or 0MB even]). Having already ignored the blue and yellow messages already, because of my stupid pragmatic reasoning that what the heck, OC will be downloaded anyway, I could no longer simply brush off this red flag. The programs began to hang, the mp3 playing was becoming choppy, and the computer was virtually crippled.
I was choiceless. I finally (and reluctantly) clicked the Disk Cleanup button, and agreed to remove unnecessary programs to free up disk space. I didn't need to do so in the past months, as I've been testing the computer's storage limits by leaving space for at most only 2 TV show downloads, deleting them after viewing, and then downloading new episodes. It all went well for a while, but apparently, my music downloads have now used up the videos' space, and some programs may have to be sacrificed.
My ever-reliable Ares file-sharing program seemed to stand out as a major space consumer at 1GB+. As much as I use it all the time to download stuff, I realized I could delete it as I secured two versions after the older one screwed up. Brilliant, I thought. I could simply delete one copy to clear space, and still use the other for more downloads.
And so I excitedly clicked Uninstall button, and patiently waited as the uninstaller dutifully reported the steps of the process onscreen. OC coming up, I thought excitedly. Yey.
It took about two seconds before it hit me. MY FREAKIN' FILES IN THE SHARED FOLDER!!!
I clicked the X at the upper right corner of the screen, clicked the Cancel button, clicked the X button again, and over and over again, as a sense of panic washed over me like cold water.
But what the hell. The computer's memory was too busy, as it didn't even recognize my attempts to stop the process. And so, like any obedient computer, it flashed the steps of the process it just completed. In the list, I saw what seemed to be one of the most painful messages I've read in my life.
...
Removing My Shared Folder.. Done.
...
Noooooooo, I had said aloud.
I was crushed. goodbye to my downloaded 1500+ files in there. Mostly mp3's, some videos, documents and all. Resigned, I thought I was about to cry. Haha. It felt sucky since I earlier just transferred the new files from the other shared folder into this one to get rid of duplicates.
Pained, I opened my Windows Media Player to try to check if the files would still play. I grabbed a notebook, so I could list the mp3 files I wanted back, so I could painstakingly download all 1502 music files.
I clicked to play Tell Me How You Feel by Joy Enriquez, and waited with bated breath as the screen read, Opening Media, requiring me to wait. I half-expected it to say, as it did in a few other occasions: Cannot locate source file or disk.
But it didn't! Haha! And before i knew it, the R&B song was playing na! Haha. I wanted to jump with joy! God is good! Oh happy day!
Well now I'm happy. I called home, talked to Ma and Dad and Kai, chatted a bit with Brice who's at home in the Philippines already (grounded though haha), and good buddy Jay too for a while, and read some happy emails from my yahoogroups.
Hah. I told you it doesn't take much to make me happy. Well that's the drama of my life.
Convenient
Convenient
For a change, this won't be long. Or even cheerful for that matter.
Today I was at Changi at 6:45am to send off the next batch of departing Pinoys: birthday boy Gelo, Ferron, Ate Angel, Jeunesse and Robs. The send-off party ironically consisted of more people than those actually leaving: Joline, Karen, Nestor, Arthur, Ivy, myself, and two of Jeunesse's churchmates who went to see her off. Then Arthur, Nestor and I went to Orchard to do some window shopping. It was fun for the most part, checking out the sinfully expensive stuff in the endless strip of malls, and playing the free XBOX in some booth, and now my legs are sore from walking too much. It was drizzling when we went home at around 4pm, and I was quite glad to bump into Xiaolong, one of my favorite Chinese friends from my former hall, in bus 95.
I hate long MRT rides. They make me feel lazy. And sleepy. I hate getting wet in the rain. It may be fun once in a while, but I've gotten wet too many times this sem, thank you. I feel bad right now, and I don't know why. Maybe I'm getting a little depressed, or maybe I'm just tired.
And I always like to blame it on the gloomy weather. It's always convenient that way.
P.S.
I'm sorry to K and A, for whatever I may have done.
To J, I hope you feel better.
For a change, this won't be long. Or even cheerful for that matter.
Today I was at Changi at 6:45am to send off the next batch of departing Pinoys: birthday boy Gelo, Ferron, Ate Angel, Jeunesse and Robs. The send-off party ironically consisted of more people than those actually leaving: Joline, Karen, Nestor, Arthur, Ivy, myself, and two of Jeunesse's churchmates who went to see her off. Then Arthur, Nestor and I went to Orchard to do some window shopping. It was fun for the most part, checking out the sinfully expensive stuff in the endless strip of malls, and playing the free XBOX in some booth, and now my legs are sore from walking too much. It was drizzling when we went home at around 4pm, and I was quite glad to bump into Xiaolong, one of my favorite Chinese friends from my former hall, in bus 95.
I hate long MRT rides. They make me feel lazy. And sleepy. I hate getting wet in the rain. It may be fun once in a while, but I've gotten wet too many times this sem, thank you. I feel bad right now, and I don't know why. Maybe I'm getting a little depressed, or maybe I'm just tired.
And I always like to blame it on the gloomy weather. It's always convenient that way.
P.S.
I'm sorry to K and A, for whatever I may have done.
To J, I hope you feel better.
Surprisingly busy
Surprisingly busy
All the while I thought I was gonna have looong days in Singapore what with my self-imposed schedule. But as it turns out, I'm pretty booked for the holidays, and now, as much as I am semi-lethargic half the time, I still don't run out of duties and activities to do and deadlines to beat.
I could have left for the Philippines as early as November 30, but I've decided to leave on the 21st or 20th of December (SilkAir help me out here!) primarily due to the NUS Choir carolling sessions, especially on the 18th and 19th at the Esplanade Concourse. It's sure a helluva big deal for a totally inexperienced kid to get accepted in the NUS Choir, so you must imagine how mind-blowing it is for me to stick around with them brilliant choristers as they (ahem, we) perform in public. (Although of course, I try not to appear too overwhelmed.. haha) Anyway, besides, I seriously need to settle my nerves when performing in public, so I deem this carolling thing a practice of sorts, aside from being a source of the subsidy, for the overseas competition next year. Ahem. (Yes I struggle to hide my "overwhelmed-ness" ;P)
Anyway, held yesterday was the first of the choir's carolling sessions. It was at this SAFRA place at Mt Faber. SAFRA is Singapore Armed Forces Something Something, so I thought it was all prim and proper and the don't-smile-too-much kind of serious. But it turned out to be one of the coolest recreation spots I've seen! It's some entertainment center that's almost like a high-end club, with a mall-like something, with a big pool and several smaller pools with slides and kidstuff, and a couple of floors with stuff. I wouldn't really know, since we were immediately led to our holding room which seemed like a posh executive boardroom.
The VJC (Victoria Junior College) choir, which sang in Singapore Idol, was also singing and hmm.. that ought to be a stimulus for tension righ? Haha. And to think both choirs have the same choral director, Mr Nelson Kwei. Anyway, the boys and girls from their choir looked noticeably younger than the NUS people, and for a while I realized for my age (18 thanks), I should be joining their bunch! I wonder what transformations I will experience (if I haven't already) in the coming years.
When we finally sang, we sounded erm.. not too good. See, we were made to sing on the stairs! There was this winding staircase going up to the second floor, and this huge Christmas tree in front. The arrangement was ludicrous, as each of the sections (sops, altos, tenors, basses) was arranged in a line, in effect hindering us from listening to our sectionmates (and my guide, Lindley, was hardly audible as he was in front of me). How's that for harmonization! There were no microphones, and people were talking around (it had the feel of a mall), so we were straining too, to have our voices heard. If that wasn't enough, a few seconds into Little Drummer Boy, where we the basses go "Prum, Prum", everyone had to stop and start over as the sopranos couldn't hear their cue from us. Whoops. And another time, while we were well into our long finale We Wish You a Merry Christmas, the speaker blasts some crazy music, momentarily distracting us, only to be turned off after a few seconds. Good thing this tenor Wei Wei decided to tell the conductor Yan Ting to finish the song, as she almost opted for an early finish due to the sudden distraction. Haha. After the performance, the bubbly conductor Yan Ting said she could see us blasting (the only way we could be heard), but could barely hear us. Hehe. Oh well. At least the crowd was an appreciative one. God bless you all. :) Besides, the choir didn't seem to be upset too much; in fact, we were kidding about the whole thing. Blame it on the happy Christmas carols. ;)
If it's any consolation, we were booked for the event, so we get paid no matter what. Hah, there goes another installment of my subsidy for the competition in Czech. Ka-ching!
So now that the next choir event is still on the 18th yet, I have more than enough time to focus on this article for the Ridge, NUS Student Union's publication. Hmmm.. what to write about I'm not sure yet, but I better figure it out before the December 10 deadline!
Oh, tomorrow, if there's still space in the taxi, I'm gonna be part of the send-off party again of the departing Pinoys. So that means another trip to Changi airport, and going home, well, I'm not sure if I can be tempted to keep off the shopping malls. Hehe. But really, I'd like to think I have good self-control this time (after I half-impulsively bought myself a Swatch watch at Jurong Point), as when Ferron, Jeunesse and I went to Orchard last Friday, I managed to be careful not to buy just yet. That, or maybe I'm just picky, or the stuff too pricey. I still have to go to Orchard at night around this time, though. Some spectacle they say, what with the lights and all. ;)
Okay, this post is getting too long now, and I better finish my TV series downloads. Or, I'll start reading Dickens' A Christmas Carol, or Fulghum's All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, or some Neruda poems, or I could start that article or clean up my room.
So little time, as usual.
P.S.
Oh yeah, thank GOD I decided not to go with Karen when she went clubbing. It was too eventful even for me. Hee.
And to Ferron, happy new shirt! (Haha, we bought identical brown shirts from Samuel & Kevin this noon.) I'll try to remember to SMS you whenever I decide to wear it next sem! =P
All the while I thought I was gonna have looong days in Singapore what with my self-imposed schedule. But as it turns out, I'm pretty booked for the holidays, and now, as much as I am semi-lethargic half the time, I still don't run out of duties and activities to do and deadlines to beat.
I could have left for the Philippines as early as November 30, but I've decided to leave on the 21st or 20th of December (SilkAir help me out here!) primarily due to the NUS Choir carolling sessions, especially on the 18th and 19th at the Esplanade Concourse. It's sure a helluva big deal for a totally inexperienced kid to get accepted in the NUS Choir, so you must imagine how mind-blowing it is for me to stick around with them brilliant choristers as they (ahem, we) perform in public. (Although of course, I try not to appear too overwhelmed.. haha) Anyway, besides, I seriously need to settle my nerves when performing in public, so I deem this carolling thing a practice of sorts, aside from being a source of the subsidy, for the overseas competition next year. Ahem. (Yes I struggle to hide my "overwhelmed-ness" ;P)
Anyway, held yesterday was the first of the choir's carolling sessions. It was at this SAFRA place at Mt Faber. SAFRA is Singapore Armed Forces Something Something, so I thought it was all prim and proper and the don't-smile-too-much kind of serious. But it turned out to be one of the coolest recreation spots I've seen! It's some entertainment center that's almost like a high-end club, with a mall-like something, with a big pool and several smaller pools with slides and kidstuff, and a couple of floors with stuff. I wouldn't really know, since we were immediately led to our holding room which seemed like a posh executive boardroom.
The VJC (Victoria Junior College) choir, which sang in Singapore Idol, was also singing and hmm.. that ought to be a stimulus for tension righ? Haha. And to think both choirs have the same choral director, Mr Nelson Kwei. Anyway, the boys and girls from their choir looked noticeably younger than the NUS people, and for a while I realized for my age (18 thanks), I should be joining their bunch! I wonder what transformations I will experience (if I haven't already) in the coming years.
When we finally sang, we sounded erm.. not too good. See, we were made to sing on the stairs! There was this winding staircase going up to the second floor, and this huge Christmas tree in front. The arrangement was ludicrous, as each of the sections (sops, altos, tenors, basses) was arranged in a line, in effect hindering us from listening to our sectionmates (and my guide, Lindley, was hardly audible as he was in front of me). How's that for harmonization! There were no microphones, and people were talking around (it had the feel of a mall), so we were straining too, to have our voices heard. If that wasn't enough, a few seconds into Little Drummer Boy, where we the basses go "Prum, Prum", everyone had to stop and start over as the sopranos couldn't hear their cue from us. Whoops. And another time, while we were well into our long finale We Wish You a Merry Christmas, the speaker blasts some crazy music, momentarily distracting us, only to be turned off after a few seconds. Good thing this tenor Wei Wei decided to tell the conductor Yan Ting to finish the song, as she almost opted for an early finish due to the sudden distraction. Haha. After the performance, the bubbly conductor Yan Ting said she could see us blasting (the only way we could be heard), but could barely hear us. Hehe. Oh well. At least the crowd was an appreciative one. God bless you all. :) Besides, the choir didn't seem to be upset too much; in fact, we were kidding about the whole thing. Blame it on the happy Christmas carols. ;)
If it's any consolation, we were booked for the event, so we get paid no matter what. Hah, there goes another installment of my subsidy for the competition in Czech. Ka-ching!
So now that the next choir event is still on the 18th yet, I have more than enough time to focus on this article for the Ridge, NUS Student Union's publication. Hmmm.. what to write about I'm not sure yet, but I better figure it out before the December 10 deadline!
Oh, tomorrow, if there's still space in the taxi, I'm gonna be part of the send-off party again of the departing Pinoys. So that means another trip to Changi airport, and going home, well, I'm not sure if I can be tempted to keep off the shopping malls. Hehe. But really, I'd like to think I have good self-control this time (after I half-impulsively bought myself a Swatch watch at Jurong Point), as when Ferron, Jeunesse and I went to Orchard last Friday, I managed to be careful not to buy just yet. That, or maybe I'm just picky, or the stuff too pricey. I still have to go to Orchard at night around this time, though. Some spectacle they say, what with the lights and all. ;)
Okay, this post is getting too long now, and I better finish my TV series downloads. Or, I'll start reading Dickens' A Christmas Carol, or Fulghum's All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, or some Neruda poems, or I could start that article or clean up my room.
So little time, as usual.
P.S.
Oh yeah, thank GOD I decided not to go with Karen when she went clubbing. It was too eventful even for me. Hee.
And to Ferron, happy new shirt! (Haha, we bought identical brown shirts from Samuel & Kevin this noon.) I'll try to remember to SMS you whenever I decide to wear it next sem! =P
Long line of leavers
Long line of leavers
That's the title, too, of an album of this cool Christian band Caedmon's Call (hits include Love Alone, Can't Lose You).
But really, everyone's leaving! Hah. I knew it was coming, this slow exodus of Pinoys back to the beautiful Philippine islands (although still hit by typhoons right now), but it was just lately that it's finally sunk in.
There was a despedida (farewell) party for the Filipino exchange students at Hon Sui Sen Library basement a few hours ago, and, although I was an hour late since I fell asleep on my bed due to a busy day at Choir and in Orchard, I was able to pop up at around 10pm to catch two heavenly slices of pizza and of course meet up with those folks who're about to leave. [They add to the growing list of leavers since November 30: the bridging kids (minus Robs), Wayne, Diana, Korinna, Brice, Mike, Brian, Dustin.]
I'm not particularly close to the exchange students, especially those who're from Ateneo de Manila and who stayed here for only a semester, but they seemed so friendly and nice I regret not knowing them much. Although there was this grouping of sorts in the party, something La Salle exchange student RJ was obviously distracted about (he's also leaving for good), we managed to do some quick small talk with the Ateneans, and they seemed to be such pleasant people and I didn't want them to go just yet. Funny, during the photo-taking, this friendly exchange guy Brian and I were introduced to each other. Hah. Right before he was about to leave too. Hah. Yes, late is still better than never.
The exchange people from La Salle (the archrival of fellow high-end university Ateneo), RJ and Tasj, seemed to be relishing these last few moments as well, that will cap their two-semester stay in Singapore. Tasj was especially friendly and nice and quite vocal that she was gonna miss Singapore and the people, often saying this will prolly be the last time we'll see each other, and RJ was busily taking photos of everyone, with everyone, and of himself. Hee.
It was a good night to cap my busy day, too. We had some good conversations with Arthur, Gelo, and the cards fanatic Robinson, and I enjoyed playing cards with the Pinoy bunch (Robs included of course). Afterwards, at past midnight when the rest had gone home, I joined Paul, Nestor, Karen, and Joline in indulging in what they called "existentialism bullshit", but which turned out to be most interesting. This led to other philosophical questions and depression-related and relationship-related questions. Haha. Maybe because Karen and Joline have had "eventful" experiences lately. And yes, they involve leavers too. I'm sure you'll both cope. ;)
About the existentialist part, the part where we all question our life's purpose and meaning on this planet, I was rather not too fascinated anymore. I mean, I've gone through this existentialism stuff with my cousins in Manila, and with my AJSS friends during those eventful six weeks of Ateneo Junior Summer Seminar in Summer of 2002. Well, long nights in Cervini Hall with other smart and crazy teenagers (God I miss them), what can i say.;) I've gone through that phase, and, I was quite glad tonight to be reminded that I am content with my life, and that it doesn't take much to make me happy. It was interesting though, to hear what Karen and Joline, who apparently are currently in this phase, have to say about the topic. The ever-opinionated Paul handled the blabber quite nicely. Hehe. Quite fun, we were laughing half the time, the other half philosophizing and reflecting and teasing.
Maybe I'll post photos later. But for now, I have to get some sleep! Choir performance tomorrow for SAFRA at Mt Faber. SAFRA apparently is the Singapore Air Force or something, and I hope the choir sings the carols well, considering we sorely lack practice.. or at least I do! Good night!
That's the title, too, of an album of this cool Christian band Caedmon's Call (hits include Love Alone, Can't Lose You).
But really, everyone's leaving! Hah. I knew it was coming, this slow exodus of Pinoys back to the beautiful Philippine islands (although still hit by typhoons right now), but it was just lately that it's finally sunk in.
There was a despedida (farewell) party for the Filipino exchange students at Hon Sui Sen Library basement a few hours ago, and, although I was an hour late since I fell asleep on my bed due to a busy day at Choir and in Orchard, I was able to pop up at around 10pm to catch two heavenly slices of pizza and of course meet up with those folks who're about to leave. [They add to the growing list of leavers since November 30: the bridging kids (minus Robs), Wayne, Diana, Korinna, Brice, Mike, Brian, Dustin.]
I'm not particularly close to the exchange students, especially those who're from Ateneo de Manila and who stayed here for only a semester, but they seemed so friendly and nice I regret not knowing them much. Although there was this grouping of sorts in the party, something La Salle exchange student RJ was obviously distracted about (he's also leaving for good), we managed to do some quick small talk with the Ateneans, and they seemed to be such pleasant people and I didn't want them to go just yet. Funny, during the photo-taking, this friendly exchange guy Brian and I were introduced to each other. Hah. Right before he was about to leave too. Hah. Yes, late is still better than never.
The exchange people from La Salle (the archrival of fellow high-end university Ateneo), RJ and Tasj, seemed to be relishing these last few moments as well, that will cap their two-semester stay in Singapore. Tasj was especially friendly and nice and quite vocal that she was gonna miss Singapore and the people, often saying this will prolly be the last time we'll see each other, and RJ was busily taking photos of everyone, with everyone, and of himself. Hee.
It was a good night to cap my busy day, too. We had some good conversations with Arthur, Gelo, and the cards fanatic Robinson, and I enjoyed playing cards with the Pinoy bunch (Robs included of course). Afterwards, at past midnight when the rest had gone home, I joined Paul, Nestor, Karen, and Joline in indulging in what they called "existentialism bullshit", but which turned out to be most interesting. This led to other philosophical questions and depression-related and relationship-related questions. Haha. Maybe because Karen and Joline have had "eventful" experiences lately. And yes, they involve leavers too. I'm sure you'll both cope. ;)
About the existentialist part, the part where we all question our life's purpose and meaning on this planet, I was rather not too fascinated anymore. I mean, I've gone through this existentialism stuff with my cousins in Manila, and with my AJSS friends during those eventful six weeks of Ateneo Junior Summer Seminar in Summer of 2002. Well, long nights in Cervini Hall with other smart and crazy teenagers (God I miss them), what can i say.;) I've gone through that phase, and, I was quite glad tonight to be reminded that I am content with my life, and that it doesn't take much to make me happy. It was interesting though, to hear what Karen and Joline, who apparently are currently in this phase, have to say about the topic. The ever-opinionated Paul handled the blabber quite nicely. Hehe. Quite fun, we were laughing half the time, the other half philosophizing and reflecting and teasing.
Maybe I'll post photos later. But for now, I have to get some sleep! Choir performance tomorrow for SAFRA at Mt Faber. SAFRA apparently is the Singapore Air Force or something, and I hope the choir sings the carols well, considering we sorely lack practice.. or at least I do! Good night!
Why not?
Why not?
Someone remind me again why I'm turning down Karen's offer to go clubbing tonight with Sherene and Kurien and Joline and a bunch of others?
1. Because Karen's freakin' unstable right now. And lately she's been acting kinda funny. Hah.
2. Because Karen's sabog (scatter-brained, explosive(?!)) most of the time, and maybe I'll be stuck in funny situations due to her occasional lack of any semblance of a plan?
3. Because I could buy some shirt with the clubbing money. Or add it to the fortune I would have to spend on the spoilt camera. Or buy my family and friends pasalubongs (gifts). And did I mention I'm broke?
4. Because I have choir practice early morning the next day.
5. Because my Malaysian friend Claire will be storing her stuff in my room tonight, as she's leaving for home tomorrow.
6. Because 2nd-hand smoke is toxic, and reduces my lifetime by what, 9 minutes every time? (trivia from Karen too)
Ugh. Can't you tell I want to go clubbing tonight? One significant thing I learned in my bridging year last year is that dancing is an effective (and happily sweaty) form of releeeeeeease.
Hmph. Blame the voices in my head.
Update @10pm: So Joline and Kurien didn't go I think. Hah! So apparently it's Karen, Sherene, and this Pinoy scholar at the Conservatory of Music, Alex. Well at least I didn't spoil their girls' night-out.;) Have fun, you happy people.
Someone remind me again why I'm turning down Karen's offer to go clubbing tonight with Sherene and Kurien and Joline and a bunch of others?
1. Because Karen's freakin' unstable right now. And lately she's been acting kinda funny. Hah.
2. Because Karen's sabog (scatter-brained, explosive(?!)) most of the time, and maybe I'll be stuck in funny situations due to her occasional lack of any semblance of a plan?
3. Because I could buy some shirt with the clubbing money. Or add it to the fortune I would have to spend on the spoilt camera. Or buy my family and friends pasalubongs (gifts). And did I mention I'm broke?
4. Because I have choir practice early morning the next day.
5. Because my Malaysian friend Claire will be storing her stuff in my room tonight, as she's leaving for home tomorrow.
6. Because 2nd-hand smoke is toxic, and reduces my lifetime by what, 9 minutes every time? (trivia from Karen too)
Ugh. Can't you tell I want to go clubbing tonight? One significant thing I learned in my bridging year last year is that dancing is an effective (and happily sweaty) form of releeeeeeease.
Hmph. Blame the voices in my head.
Update @10pm: So Joline and Kurien didn't go I think. Hah! So apparently it's Karen, Sherene, and this Pinoy scholar at the Conservatory of Music, Alex. Well at least I didn't spoil their girls' night-out.;) Have fun, you happy people.
Talk about eventful
Talk about eventful
About time Blogger (or Blogspot) allowed me to post. Hehe. For some reason I was denied access the whole day. Maybe they're sending a sign that too much blogging isn't too good for the health? Or maybe they just want me to get a life because bah, my blog material isn't necessarily "blogworthy" just yet? Hah.
I was reading up on stuff, and realized there are other things more truly eventful than what I blog here. For one, there's this crisis in the Philippines, which turned up in even the front page of Singapore's Straits Times today. Turns out that, as I was complaining about the crazy intermittent rains soaking my newly-washed clothes for the nth time, other people in some northern parts of the Philippines were being driven out of their houses and onto roofs and tall buildings and evacuation centers due to landslides and flashfloods. Quite depressing, actually. And so it is, several families displaced, and there have been at least 300 fatalities. And if this wasn't enough, a new typhoon Yoyong (international codename: Nanmadol) is set to hit the same areas that the tropical depression Winnie has just devastated. That's just bloody depressing. Woe to you, illegal loggers, you. Check out the story here and here.
On a more cheerful note (as much as this is quite a jump from the tone in the previous paragraph), the Singapore Idol final showdown was aired live on NUSCast a few hours ago. Yey, Taufik won! Taufik, who's into R&B and soul, clearly had the superior voice over Sylvester, who had this rock star image. Sylvester a.k.a. Sly was okay, I guess, and especially when he did It's My Life by Bon Jovi. Some talent you need to pull that off, throaty voice and all. And when they both did Hoobastank's The Reason towards the end of the results show, it was apparently more of Sylvester's territory, as Taufik clearly had to switch to falsetto to hit the high notes, whereas Sly did it the rockstar way. But those were just the few bright spots for Sylvester. It was Taufik show, essentially. He pulled off Stevie Wonder's Superstition with great ease, performed the winner's single I Dream flawlessly as if it were written for him, and did an incredibly soulful rendition of some difficult and mature R&B song, Mrs. Jones. I've always been more of the R&B fan than the rock fan, so I knew from the night's first song (yes I haven't been watching Singapore Idol for months) that Taufik would get my vote.
Yesterday, too, I went to Changi Airpot to send some of my Filipino friends (Wayne, Cecilia, Michael, Diana, Jayson and the La Salle exchange studes Drews and Herbert) off. They're home by now! Korinna, too, was brimming with cheer as I sent her off this morning, but this time to only the taxi (hahaha). They must be having the time of their lives right now! Coming home will always be eventful, for sure. Sorry Kor, though, that I was too tired to go to Changi. Yesterday I was drained since I woke up at 9:30am (I slept at 5am too, remember), sent them off, had a long lunch at Changi's Burger King with fellow members of the send-off party Ferron, Robs, and one of Wayne's churchmates Czarina, then went (again) to Funan IT Mall to finally have my camera checked. Apparently, I would have to pay a small fortune to have it fixed. And guess when it'll be back? After New Year! So much for my planned photo-taking of the Choir Carolling, as well as those snapshots of Christmas in Singapore and Philippines. Hmph. ANYWAY, Robs surely enjoyed playing the free XBOX and PC games in Funan. Haha. So did I, really, so it's okay. Hee.
Oh, and today I had some glorious sleep in the afternoon. That ought to be eventful in itself.
NUS Choir first carolling practice tomorrow! Lord help me memorize the songs and the lyrics! (yes, I bet you don't memorize all the four verses of Joy to the World, hehe) Especially the tunes, since harmonization requires that the different sections sing different parts. We'll just see what happens.
About time Blogger (or Blogspot) allowed me to post. Hehe. For some reason I was denied access the whole day. Maybe they're sending a sign that too much blogging isn't too good for the health? Or maybe they just want me to get a life because bah, my blog material isn't necessarily "blogworthy" just yet? Hah.
I was reading up on stuff, and realized there are other things more truly eventful than what I blog here. For one, there's this crisis in the Philippines, which turned up in even the front page of Singapore's Straits Times today. Turns out that, as I was complaining about the crazy intermittent rains soaking my newly-washed clothes for the nth time, other people in some northern parts of the Philippines were being driven out of their houses and onto roofs and tall buildings and evacuation centers due to landslides and flashfloods. Quite depressing, actually. And so it is, several families displaced, and there have been at least 300 fatalities. And if this wasn't enough, a new typhoon Yoyong (international codename: Nanmadol) is set to hit the same areas that the tropical depression Winnie has just devastated. That's just bloody depressing. Woe to you, illegal loggers, you. Check out the story here and here.
On a more cheerful note (as much as this is quite a jump from the tone in the previous paragraph), the Singapore Idol final showdown was aired live on NUSCast a few hours ago. Yey, Taufik won! Taufik, who's into R&B and soul, clearly had the superior voice over Sylvester, who had this rock star image. Sylvester a.k.a. Sly was okay, I guess, and especially when he did It's My Life by Bon Jovi. Some talent you need to pull that off, throaty voice and all. And when they both did Hoobastank's The Reason towards the end of the results show, it was apparently more of Sylvester's territory, as Taufik clearly had to switch to falsetto to hit the high notes, whereas Sly did it the rockstar way. But those were just the few bright spots for Sylvester. It was Taufik show, essentially. He pulled off Stevie Wonder's Superstition with great ease, performed the winner's single I Dream flawlessly as if it were written for him, and did an incredibly soulful rendition of some difficult and mature R&B song, Mrs. Jones. I've always been more of the R&B fan than the rock fan, so I knew from the night's first song (yes I haven't been watching Singapore Idol for months) that Taufik would get my vote.
Yesterday, too, I went to Changi Airpot to send some of my Filipino friends (Wayne, Cecilia, Michael, Diana, Jayson and the La Salle exchange studes Drews and Herbert) off. They're home by now! Korinna, too, was brimming with cheer as I sent her off this morning, but this time to only the taxi (hahaha). They must be having the time of their lives right now! Coming home will always be eventful, for sure. Sorry Kor, though, that I was too tired to go to Changi. Yesterday I was drained since I woke up at 9:30am (I slept at 5am too, remember), sent them off, had a long lunch at Changi's Burger King with fellow members of the send-off party Ferron, Robs, and one of Wayne's churchmates Czarina, then went (again) to Funan IT Mall to finally have my camera checked. Apparently, I would have to pay a small fortune to have it fixed. And guess when it'll be back? After New Year! So much for my planned photo-taking of the Choir Carolling, as well as those snapshots of Christmas in Singapore and Philippines. Hmph. ANYWAY, Robs surely enjoyed playing the free XBOX and PC games in Funan. Haha. So did I, really, so it's okay. Hee.
Oh, and today I had some glorious sleep in the afternoon. That ought to be eventful in itself.
NUS Choir first carolling practice tomorrow! Lord help me memorize the songs and the lyrics! (yes, I bet you don't memorize all the four verses of Joy to the World, hehe) Especially the tunes, since harmonization requires that the different sections sing different parts. We'll just see what happens.
Eventful
Eventful
Whoooooopeee, exams are over!
And yes, it's 5:02 in the morning, but no, it wasn't the usual all-nighter. It was a good all-nighter actually, an eventful one to say the least.
Eventful, yep, that's the right word. And it all began when my final exam ended at 3:00pm. Well, the exam is THE event, too, but right now I'd like to skip the academic stuff, since it's, well, FREAKIN' OVER! Whoooooooooopeeeee!
So, in a span of 12 hours after the exam, I went to Funan IT Mall with Wayne to have my camera fixed at Konica Minolta(but apparently their website isn't updated, so the closing time should be 6pm and not the 7pm posted online.. in effect requiring me to pop by their office again tomorrow since we arrived at 6:05..arrrrgh), took a long bus trip back to hall alone and enjoyed the city lights, rushed to the dining hall to catch the 8pm dinner, where I had a good meal with my Cambodian and Laotian fellow ex-bridging students, and went to my room to get some rest. And just when I was quite relaxed and finally decided to clean up my room (it gets messy during exams..and all other times too actually), Robinson pops by to invite me for supper with the bridging kids, as most of them are leaving tomorrow morning (later), but I had to refuse, as I was dead tired, but decided to go anyway as a depressed Karen (from Temasek) popped by my window and demanded I go!
So it was Cheese Prata for me and Cecilia, Robinson, Karen, Ivy, Jayson, Michael & Ferron. T'was fun too. It reminded me that it can be extremely relaxing to go for midnight walks to this hawker center Fong Seng some two to three blocks away. Well, if not for this depressed and unstable Karen who kept on making a scene! Hmph. But the Combo Cheese prata was nice, the night air just right, and talking and laughing with friends is quite a good way to destress.
We arrived at Kent Ridge Hall at around 2am, but Karen from Temasek requested to be walked home. She was more stable now, so she wasn't as fun anymore. Haha. So Ivy and I went to her room in Temasek, where we tinkered with her a cappella mp3s, as well as those mp3s I dutifully send her whenever she asks me or whenever I feel like sending, and she proved to be a teeny bit unstable still. But it was manageable, so it was okay. Even if she was dancing in the room to Safri Duo's Baya Baya, while Ivy watched and I turned away. Haha.
Ivy and I walked back to KR at around 3am, and I was relieved that finally I could catch some sleeeeeep. But as it turned out, I had a two-hour chat with a friend on YM! Haha.
So now I'm way too sleepy. Not sure if I'll send off those lucky few who're flying to the Philippines tomorrow (later), but.. let's just see first if I wake up.
Good morning!
Whoooooopeee, exams are over!
And yes, it's 5:02 in the morning, but no, it wasn't the usual all-nighter. It was a good all-nighter actually, an eventful one to say the least.
Eventful, yep, that's the right word. And it all began when my final exam ended at 3:00pm. Well, the exam is THE event, too, but right now I'd like to skip the academic stuff, since it's, well, FREAKIN' OVER! Whoooooooooopeeeee!
So, in a span of 12 hours after the exam, I went to Funan IT Mall with Wayne to have my camera fixed at Konica Minolta(but apparently their website isn't updated, so the closing time should be 6pm and not the 7pm posted online.. in effect requiring me to pop by their office again tomorrow since we arrived at 6:05..arrrrgh), took a long bus trip back to hall alone and enjoyed the city lights, rushed to the dining hall to catch the 8pm dinner, where I had a good meal with my Cambodian and Laotian fellow ex-bridging students, and went to my room to get some rest. And just when I was quite relaxed and finally decided to clean up my room (it gets messy during exams..and all other times too actually), Robinson pops by to invite me for supper with the bridging kids, as most of them are leaving tomorrow morning (later), but I had to refuse, as I was dead tired, but decided to go anyway as a depressed Karen (from Temasek) popped by my window and demanded I go!
So it was Cheese Prata for me and Cecilia, Robinson, Karen, Ivy, Jayson, Michael & Ferron. T'was fun too. It reminded me that it can be extremely relaxing to go for midnight walks to this hawker center Fong Seng some two to three blocks away. Well, if not for this depressed and unstable Karen who kept on making a scene! Hmph. But the Combo Cheese prata was nice, the night air just right, and talking and laughing with friends is quite a good way to destress.
We arrived at Kent Ridge Hall at around 2am, but Karen from Temasek requested to be walked home. She was more stable now, so she wasn't as fun anymore. Haha. So Ivy and I went to her room in Temasek, where we tinkered with her a cappella mp3s, as well as those mp3s I dutifully send her whenever she asks me or whenever I feel like sending, and she proved to be a teeny bit unstable still. But it was manageable, so it was okay. Even if she was dancing in the room to Safri Duo's Baya Baya, while Ivy watched and I turned away. Haha.
Ivy and I walked back to KR at around 3am, and I was relieved that finally I could catch some sleeeeeep. But as it turned out, I had a two-hour chat with a friend on YM! Haha.
So now I'm way too sleepy. Not sure if I'll send off those lucky few who're flying to the Philippines tomorrow (later), but.. let's just see first if I wake up.
Good morning!
20 hours
20 hours
Woohooo.
In 20 hours this will all be over, and I can finally get myself a sinful overdose of sleep, hopefully clear up some "facial ground" (if you know what I mean), rid my room of biology-linear-algebra-programming-SG-studies-statistics material, and ultimately regain my sanity. Whoooo.
Most of my friends were done with their exams on Saturday yet. Ugh. I had to endure seeing happy MSN nicks like "WHOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!", "Exams over", "I'm coming home to my car!", "Back in India tomorrow!", "buhbye exams!", and "JOY JOY JOY!", while I was busily mugging for my final paper on Monday. Hmph. A friend of mine left for India this morning, one for Mauritius, some of my Singaporean neighbors have gone home, and the bridging kids + Ferron + Karen + Joline went to Orchard last night to watch the Incredibles!
Well my date with my Biology notes didn't go too bad, actually. The problem was it kept me up all night! Bad, I know. I tried to study in the evening, in the afternoon, but for some reason I just wasn't productive. My peak hours? 12midnight to 9am. It's confirmed, NUS has successfully turned me into a zombie.
But I love my school. Top 18 in the world, believe it or not. (Haha, even my schoolmates are skeptical about it but what the heck)
Although the sun beat me to it (I planned to finish studying before sunrise), I'm glad I finished all 12 sets of lectures by 9am, took a nap, woke up at 12noon, had a 5-minute shower chop-chop and rushed to catch the 12:15 bus to Church.
Surprise, surprise, I see Karen in the bus, together with her partner-in-crime Sherene, and my fellow Bass at the NUS Choir, Kurien, all three clad in white. I've heard of Sherene, Karen's opposite-door(?!) neighbor, but we were intorduced only now. Crazy folk those three fellas from Temasek Hall. The fun type of crazy, and I had fun over lunch afterwards at a Kopitiam in Clementi.
And you Sherene, you, thanks for lurking around my blog for quite some time. And although it's freaky that you know stuff about me even when I didn't yet speak a word to you, it's actually kinda nice to know you've been a patiently reading my nonsensical ramblings. ;) Coooooool blog too. Good luck to us on our papers!
Okay, time to fix up my notes for tomorrow's open-book multiple-choice Biology exam! Cheers everyone!
Woohooo.
In 20 hours this will all be over, and I can finally get myself a sinful overdose of sleep, hopefully clear up some "facial ground" (if you know what I mean), rid my room of biology-linear-algebra-programming-SG-studies-statistics material, and ultimately regain my sanity. Whoooo.
Most of my friends were done with their exams on Saturday yet. Ugh. I had to endure seeing happy MSN nicks like "WHOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!", "Exams over", "I'm coming home to my car!", "Back in India tomorrow!", "buhbye exams!", and "JOY JOY JOY!", while I was busily mugging for my final paper on Monday. Hmph. A friend of mine left for India this morning, one for Mauritius, some of my Singaporean neighbors have gone home, and the bridging kids + Ferron + Karen + Joline went to Orchard last night to watch the Incredibles!
Well my date with my Biology notes didn't go too bad, actually. The problem was it kept me up all night! Bad, I know. I tried to study in the evening, in the afternoon, but for some reason I just wasn't productive. My peak hours? 12midnight to 9am. It's confirmed, NUS has successfully turned me into a zombie.
But I love my school. Top 18 in the world, believe it or not. (Haha, even my schoolmates are skeptical about it but what the heck)
Although the sun beat me to it (I planned to finish studying before sunrise), I'm glad I finished all 12 sets of lectures by 9am, took a nap, woke up at 12noon, had a 5-minute shower chop-chop and rushed to catch the 12:15 bus to Church.
Surprise, surprise, I see Karen in the bus, together with her partner-in-crime Sherene, and my fellow Bass at the NUS Choir, Kurien, all three clad in white. I've heard of Sherene, Karen's opposite-door(?!) neighbor, but we were intorduced only now. Crazy folk those three fellas from Temasek Hall. The fun type of crazy, and I had fun over lunch afterwards at a Kopitiam in Clementi.
And you Sherene, you, thanks for lurking around my blog for quite some time. And although it's freaky that you know stuff about me even when I didn't yet speak a word to you, it's actually kinda nice to know you've been a patiently reading my nonsensical ramblings. ;) Coooooool blog too. Good luck to us on our papers!
Okay, time to fix up my notes for tomorrow's open-book multiple-choice Biology exam! Cheers everyone!
Another distraction
Another distraction
Yes, it's another of those stuff I do when I should be studying, but... isn't the OC just super?
I just watched episode 2 of the second season a few hours ago, and argh, it's still depressing.
But it's the interesting, fun type of depressing, so it's okay. Last season's finale was depressing, the first ep of the next season was still depressing, and now this (I hope this isn't spoiling anything for those who haven't watched them episodes yet).
I've been hoping a happy something something would happen actually, but now I'm thinking about what my good high school friend Lyn once said: if in the end it will all be happy, then she doesn't want the present to be happy too much, because that would mean it's the end already. Hmm.. I didn't quite agree with her on that, because somewhere there's a flaw in logic (and maybe because I was a happy kid in high school), but the sensible part of me is saying, yes, why expect a happy ending here at the beginning of the season. Argh, pardon the incoherence, but yes, I'm still blabbering about the OC.
And watching this episode btw, reminded me that Summer is still one of my favorite characters. Haha. I think she just beat my previous favorite Seth by a few points this season. Let's see what happens.
Okay, gotta rush for a date with my Bio book! Wheeeeee.
Yes, it's another of those stuff I do when I should be studying, but... isn't the OC just super?
I just watched episode 2 of the second season a few hours ago, and argh, it's still depressing.
But it's the interesting, fun type of depressing, so it's okay. Last season's finale was depressing, the first ep of the next season was still depressing, and now this (I hope this isn't spoiling anything for those who haven't watched them episodes yet).
I've been hoping a happy something something would happen actually, but now I'm thinking about what my good high school friend Lyn once said: if in the end it will all be happy, then she doesn't want the present to be happy too much, because that would mean it's the end already. Hmm.. I didn't quite agree with her on that, because somewhere there's a flaw in logic (and maybe because I was a happy kid in high school), but the sensible part of me is saying, yes, why expect a happy ending here at the beginning of the season. Argh, pardon the incoherence, but yes, I'm still blabbering about the OC.
And watching this episode btw, reminded me that Summer is still one of my favorite characters. Haha. I think she just beat my previous favorite Seth by a few points this season. Let's see what happens.
Okay, gotta rush for a date with my Bio book! Wheeeeee.
Camera trick
Camera trick
It was kind of Ferron to comment that my skinny photo in a previous post was perhaps due to something with the camera. Maybe the angle? Or perhaps the dimensions of the length and width or whatever. So, in yet another mugging session at the medical library the other day, Ferron and best friend Michaelstyx (more than best friends, in fact, according to Ferron.. hmm..) took another photo:
That's me (right) and my junior Robinson (who's from my same high school but a year younger, and who's a bigger math wizard than the high school me [note that I no longer am, to my dismay..but I'm working on it]).
Anyway, if the photo says anything, it confirms that I'm really skinny now. Sigh. But it also shows that I'm not the only one! Haha. Robinson, who badly needs a haircut, as all other Pinoys here agree (=P), is getting a bit too thin as well. Hmm.. or MAYBE it really is just the camera, ya?
Here's another photo, which, although totally unflattering (I've hated close-ups lately.. guess why), shows that I can look not-too-skinny in certain situations:
Haha. Pardon the uncertainty in the smile. For one, I was tired and sleepy from my usual all-nighters (yes they're getting regular now.. sorry again Ma!), and besides, that's an experimental smile. Hah. A high school friend who knew me from grade school once commented I've been using the same old smile I've been using since Montessori! Hahaha. Same old million-dollar smile, if I may add. Bwahaha.
Come on, humor me. I've just finished my Statistics exam yesterday evening, and it turned out to be quite okay. Well it should be, since Arthur and I were getting saturated from answering so many past year exam questions! There was a bunch of stupid glitches here and there (and Arthur will agree too), like this simple wrong substitution of the value of Z-alpha (I should've realized it was a one-tailed Z-test, not two), but I'm just mighty glad it's over. I also have a three-day break before my next exam in General Biology, which is a multiple-choice exam too. Argh, I never was good in multiple choice stuff, but at least it's open-book.
And that Bio exam is the last one for this semester too. And then I can do some sightseeing and caroling and surfing and blogging and shopping(?), before flying home on December 20 or 21.
To anyone on the December 20 Davao-bound Silkair flight, won't you pleeeease reschedule so I could get off the waiting list? I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
It was kind of Ferron to comment that my skinny photo in a previous post was perhaps due to something with the camera. Maybe the angle? Or perhaps the dimensions of the length and width or whatever. So, in yet another mugging session at the medical library the other day, Ferron and best friend Michaelstyx (more than best friends, in fact, according to Ferron.. hmm..) took another photo:
That's me (right) and my junior Robinson (who's from my same high school but a year younger, and who's a bigger math wizard than the high school me [note that I no longer am, to my dismay..but I'm working on it]).
Anyway, if the photo says anything, it confirms that I'm really skinny now. Sigh. But it also shows that I'm not the only one! Haha. Robinson, who badly needs a haircut, as all other Pinoys here agree (=P), is getting a bit too thin as well. Hmm.. or MAYBE it really is just the camera, ya?
Here's another photo, which, although totally unflattering (I've hated close-ups lately.. guess why), shows that I can look not-too-skinny in certain situations:
Haha. Pardon the uncertainty in the smile. For one, I was tired and sleepy from my usual all-nighters (yes they're getting regular now.. sorry again Ma!), and besides, that's an experimental smile. Hah. A high school friend who knew me from grade school once commented I've been using the same old smile I've been using since Montessori! Hahaha. Same old million-dollar smile, if I may add. Bwahaha.
Come on, humor me. I've just finished my Statistics exam yesterday evening, and it turned out to be quite okay. Well it should be, since Arthur and I were getting saturated from answering so many past year exam questions! There was a bunch of stupid glitches here and there (and Arthur will agree too), like this simple wrong substitution of the value of Z-alpha (I should've realized it was a one-tailed Z-test, not two), but I'm just mighty glad it's over. I also have a three-day break before my next exam in General Biology, which is a multiple-choice exam too. Argh, I never was good in multiple choice stuff, but at least it's open-book.
And that Bio exam is the last one for this semester too. And then I can do some sightseeing and caroling and surfing and blogging and shopping(?), before flying home on December 20 or 21.
To anyone on the December 20 Davao-bound Silkair flight, won't you pleeeease reschedule so I could get off the waiting list? I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Some people
Some people
Dustin got so bored today we were literally exchanging smileys over MSN. As usual, he commented on my MSN nick (which I try to keep creative/informative/expressive out of self-satisfaction), and then went on to send me smileys of all shapes and sizes and expressions. It was crazy. I swear we could make a good sensible story out of the exchange. I had downloaded a good collection myself, so I didn't run out of cool emoticons to swap.
Charles the Medicine guy from NUS Choir invited me via SMS to study at the Engin Bridge in the afternoon. I was asleep. He messaged me over MSN just now, and it's sucky that even his cheerful disposition is marred by the required mad revision for his coming tests. He's in Medicine, what can I say. And it's doubly sad to see him devastated the day after his birthday. God bless him.
Brice got an A in our final SS essay. I distinctly remember him rushing through the paper in a fatalistic way, as he declared the module as S/U, or pass/fail. That means he only needs to pass it, as A or B+ or B- won't make a difference. I didn't opt for S/U, meaning I get the full gravity of my grades. I remember him sending me a copy of his essay, which he requested I check, but I had to beg off since I was working my ass off more crazily doing the same essay, but on a different choice of text. What can I say. It's either the tutors decided to do a turnaround this assignment (his tutor is different from mine, and my tutor gave me high marks for the previous assignment, while his gave low marks), or some people have all the luck.
Some people are mugging right now.
Some people are just blogging.
And some people should get hold of themselves, and focus on the monstrous tasks at hand.
Dustin got so bored today we were literally exchanging smileys over MSN. As usual, he commented on my MSN nick (which I try to keep creative/informative/expressive out of self-satisfaction), and then went on to send me smileys of all shapes and sizes and expressions. It was crazy. I swear we could make a good sensible story out of the exchange. I had downloaded a good collection myself, so I didn't run out of cool emoticons to swap.
Charles the Medicine guy from NUS Choir invited me via SMS to study at the Engin Bridge in the afternoon. I was asleep. He messaged me over MSN just now, and it's sucky that even his cheerful disposition is marred by the required mad revision for his coming tests. He's in Medicine, what can I say. And it's doubly sad to see him devastated the day after his birthday. God bless him.
Brice got an A in our final SS essay. I distinctly remember him rushing through the paper in a fatalistic way, as he declared the module as S/U, or pass/fail. That means he only needs to pass it, as A or B+ or B- won't make a difference. I didn't opt for S/U, meaning I get the full gravity of my grades. I remember him sending me a copy of his essay, which he requested I check, but I had to beg off since I was working my ass off more crazily doing the same essay, but on a different choice of text. What can I say. It's either the tutors decided to do a turnaround this assignment (his tutor is different from mine, and my tutor gave me high marks for the previous assignment, while his gave low marks), or some people have all the luck.
Some people are mugging right now.
Some people are just blogging.
And some people should get hold of themselves, and focus on the monstrous tasks at hand.
Thirty seconds
Thirty seconds
Yes, this is a 30-second extension.
But awwww.. I'm touched by Korinna's post in her blog.
I'm very grateful too, seriously. Ahihihi.
This freakin' world-class-university-slash-far-away-from-home life we're living can take its toll on us sometimes, especially if one is more of a gets-along-with-anyone drifter than of the clique-ish type, and it's feels damn super to be appreciated.
Mugging time!
Yes, this is a 30-second extension.
But awwww.. I'm touched by Korinna's post in her blog.
I'm very grateful too, seriously. Ahihihi.
This freakin' world-class-university-slash-far-away-from-home life we're living can take its toll on us sometimes, especially if one is more of a gets-along-with-anyone drifter than of the clique-ish type, and it's feels damn super to be appreciated.
Mugging time!
Four minutes
Four minutes
How much can you blog in four minutes?
Last night I had a Statistics all-nighter. I haven't gone through the entire 320+ page set of lecture notes, but I was done with the tough parts.
Slept at 5am. Had a horrible dream. It involved my high school friends, a dusty, busy street, me running down the road, and suddenly, two fresh corpses. *shudder*
I finally got my Singapore Studies final paper and quiz back today. It's official, I sent Alfian Sa'at a B paper. My tutor left no comments, so it was a quick and sudden stab. But what the hell was I thinking? I was with hardcore Arts majors! I hope everyone gets B so I have a shot at an A-. Hur hur.
Watched the OC finally last night. Too many temptations in the room: my bed, the internet, MSN, blogging. Argh. I watched the finale of Season 1. Man, was it depressing. I watched the first ep of Season 2 this morning. Depressing still! I still love the OC though. And the soundtrack totally ROCKS.
Now it's five minutes. A minute overdue.
At least I should be proud I'm taking measures so I can study more.
Another minute overdue. Let's get this published then I'll hit the books. Pray for me, people.
How much can you blog in four minutes?
Last night I had a Statistics all-nighter. I haven't gone through the entire 320+ page set of lecture notes, but I was done with the tough parts.
Slept at 5am. Had a horrible dream. It involved my high school friends, a dusty, busy street, me running down the road, and suddenly, two fresh corpses. *shudder*
I finally got my Singapore Studies final paper and quiz back today. It's official, I sent Alfian Sa'at a B paper. My tutor left no comments, so it was a quick and sudden stab. But what the hell was I thinking? I was with hardcore Arts majors! I hope everyone gets B so I have a shot at an A-. Hur hur.
Watched the OC finally last night. Too many temptations in the room: my bed, the internet, MSN, blogging. Argh. I watched the finale of Season 1. Man, was it depressing. I watched the first ep of Season 2 this morning. Depressing still! I still love the OC though. And the soundtrack totally ROCKS.
Now it's five minutes. A minute overdue.
At least I should be proud I'm taking measures so I can study more.
Another minute overdue. Let's get this published then I'll hit the books. Pray for me, people.
Spent
Spent
Yippeeee. After a mugging series which lasted for several late nights and sleepy early mornings, I am now officially spent.
I've been through two of my four exams (my SG Studies module is non-examinable, remember), and I feel I've just managed to swallow up two particularly nasty lumps of academic food. They didn't go down easy, them Linear Algebra and Programming Methodology, but now I'm just enjoying the thought of setting aside my textbooks and notes, returning library books, and effectively freeing up much-needed memory space in my overloaded brain.
Linear Algebra was bah. I studied till I felt almost saturated, but what can I do? Dr Roger Poh, God bless him, is really a nice lecturer, but ineffective. I wasn't surprised that I got my proofs mixed up, because really, aren't vector spaces just. so. freakin. abstract?
Programming was held this afternoon. This time it was open book, and it was plain to see that, as usual, my desk in the exam hall was the most ridden with.. stuff. I opened my book here, searched my bulky folder of lecture notes, placed the exam paper on top, ruffled through my 2 exercise/tutorial notebooks, looked through the folder containing methods and classes from the Java API website, scanned my specially printed summary of useful codes, and finally dug through the entire collection to search for my buried answer sheet. It was a fun experience, actually, and for the first time, I was a bit more confident with my answers. Thanks to my good notes and prepared codes too. Time was short, though. I had a question here and there with half-baked, unfinished answers, but at least, I was able to scribble something for every item, and managed to go through every single question. Later, I realized that I had some incorrect answers here and there, but bah, more than anything, I'm just relieved it's over.
Johni, my Indonesian friend and a Math major, is still disappointed with his linear algebra exam. He came to my room to express his woes and discuss the paper, but as it turned out, I was the one who was made more depressed. I swear, that Johni is a genius, and if he fails this subject, then I might as well be stripped of scholar status and sent back home to the Philippines ASAP, ya?
Adrian, another Indonesian friend, had a pained, almost angry look on his face, when I saw him in the bus stop after the CS1101 exam this afternoon. I semi-waved and semi-smiled to greet him, but he didn't seem to notice. I messaged him through MSN when I reached my room, telling him how things will be okay, and he told me, as expected, he was disappointed with some question in his just-concluded Physics exam. I continued to wish him well, and didn't wait for a reply anymore.
What do you know, a few minutes later, he comes knocking at my door, and lets out some steam. Not directed at me, I tell you. Apparently, he made a careless mistake in some number that was worth some 15 points. He even went to explain the details of this particular number, plus this other 30-point item that stumped him. What can I say about Physics? Haha, what do we say ba, Kor, Ivy? Hehe. My NUS bridging course last year had psyched me up already for crazy academic stuff I had never prepared for in my grade school and high school years, so by now, I sure as hell know better. :)
I hope Adrian's okay though. At least he was slightly comforted by what I said about several people checking an answer script, and that, partial credit will always be given in Physics exams. I didn't make him feel GOOD just yet, but I'm sure he felt a teeny bit better. Sometimes too, we just need to let those monsters out of our head verbally, and we'll feel better. Never mind if the problem isn't remedied just yet. Case in point: this freakin' blog. Hah.
Sigh. Thanks to Ben and Sens and Rashell for the relaxing walk to McDonalds for dinner, and the walk back. Funny, we just went to McDo (McD to locals) to take-away our Big Macs and Filet-o-Fishes. ;)
Hmm.. someone please remind me that 4 days isn't too long. Then it's the glorious Statistics exam. Woooohooo.
Yippeeee. After a mugging series which lasted for several late nights and sleepy early mornings, I am now officially spent.
I've been through two of my four exams (my SG Studies module is non-examinable, remember), and I feel I've just managed to swallow up two particularly nasty lumps of academic food. They didn't go down easy, them Linear Algebra and Programming Methodology, but now I'm just enjoying the thought of setting aside my textbooks and notes, returning library books, and effectively freeing up much-needed memory space in my overloaded brain.
Linear Algebra was bah. I studied till I felt almost saturated, but what can I do? Dr Roger Poh, God bless him, is really a nice lecturer, but ineffective. I wasn't surprised that I got my proofs mixed up, because really, aren't vector spaces just. so. freakin. abstract?
Programming was held this afternoon. This time it was open book, and it was plain to see that, as usual, my desk in the exam hall was the most ridden with.. stuff. I opened my book here, searched my bulky folder of lecture notes, placed the exam paper on top, ruffled through my 2 exercise/tutorial notebooks, looked through the folder containing methods and classes from the Java API website, scanned my specially printed summary of useful codes, and finally dug through the entire collection to search for my buried answer sheet. It was a fun experience, actually, and for the first time, I was a bit more confident with my answers. Thanks to my good notes and prepared codes too. Time was short, though. I had a question here and there with half-baked, unfinished answers, but at least, I was able to scribble something for every item, and managed to go through every single question. Later, I realized that I had some incorrect answers here and there, but bah, more than anything, I'm just relieved it's over.
Johni, my Indonesian friend and a Math major, is still disappointed with his linear algebra exam. He came to my room to express his woes and discuss the paper, but as it turned out, I was the one who was made more depressed. I swear, that Johni is a genius, and if he fails this subject, then I might as well be stripped of scholar status and sent back home to the Philippines ASAP, ya?
Adrian, another Indonesian friend, had a pained, almost angry look on his face, when I saw him in the bus stop after the CS1101 exam this afternoon. I semi-waved and semi-smiled to greet him, but he didn't seem to notice. I messaged him through MSN when I reached my room, telling him how things will be okay, and he told me, as expected, he was disappointed with some question in his just-concluded Physics exam. I continued to wish him well, and didn't wait for a reply anymore.
What do you know, a few minutes later, he comes knocking at my door, and lets out some steam. Not directed at me, I tell you. Apparently, he made a careless mistake in some number that was worth some 15 points. He even went to explain the details of this particular number, plus this other 30-point item that stumped him. What can I say about Physics? Haha, what do we say ba, Kor, Ivy? Hehe. My NUS bridging course last year had psyched me up already for crazy academic stuff I had never prepared for in my grade school and high school years, so by now, I sure as hell know better. :)
I hope Adrian's okay though. At least he was slightly comforted by what I said about several people checking an answer script, and that, partial credit will always be given in Physics exams. I didn't make him feel GOOD just yet, but I'm sure he felt a teeny bit better. Sometimes too, we just need to let those monsters out of our head verbally, and we'll feel better. Never mind if the problem isn't remedied just yet. Case in point: this freakin' blog. Hah.
Sigh. Thanks to Ben and Sens and Rashell for the relaxing walk to McDonalds for dinner, and the walk back. Funny, we just went to McDo (McD to locals) to take-away our Big Macs and Filet-o-Fishes. ;)
Hmm.. someone please remind me that 4 days isn't too long. Then it's the glorious Statistics exam. Woooohooo.
Before I vanish
Before I vanish
My friend from China and birthdaymate Sens (hail the 8th-of-February babies!) once again reminded me the other day that I've been getting thinner and thinner every time we saw each other. For a while I thought she was exaggerating, but now I realize I may have been looking at this full-size mirror in my room a little too much to be able to tell the difference. Can't blame me, too. It's directly to my left when I'm working with my laptop, or when I'm studying on the table, so when I get bored and tired and decide to look around, I can't help but look at myself adoringly. (You also, Korinna, right? Haha!)
We were studying at the Med Library this afternoon, and Michael took this photo using Ferron's Ericsson phone.
Scary photo. I'm so skinny already!
Sens told me that if I continue to grow skinnier, in time, I just might vanish. Haha.
I swear, after these exams, I'm gonna get me lots of sleep, and I'm gonna stuff myself like crazy.
P.S.
I suddenly miss my digicam! :( I've been wanting to go to the Konica shop to have it fixed, but I'm just too busy. Sigh. I'll have it fixed soon, and I promise to post more photos. In time for the NUS Choir caroling sessions, too. ;)
Thanks Ferron for sending me the photo!
My friend from China and birthdaymate Sens (hail the 8th-of-February babies!) once again reminded me the other day that I've been getting thinner and thinner every time we saw each other. For a while I thought she was exaggerating, but now I realize I may have been looking at this full-size mirror in my room a little too much to be able to tell the difference. Can't blame me, too. It's directly to my left when I'm working with my laptop, or when I'm studying on the table, so when I get bored and tired and decide to look around, I can't help but look at myself adoringly. (You also, Korinna, right? Haha!)
We were studying at the Med Library this afternoon, and Michael took this photo using Ferron's Ericsson phone.
Scary photo. I'm so skinny already!
Sens told me that if I continue to grow skinnier, in time, I just might vanish. Haha.
I swear, after these exams, I'm gonna get me lots of sleep, and I'm gonna stuff myself like crazy.
P.S.
I suddenly miss my digicam! :( I've been wanting to go to the Konica shop to have it fixed, but I'm just too busy. Sigh. I'll have it fixed soon, and I promise to post more photos. In time for the NUS Choir caroling sessions, too. ;)
Thanks Ferron for sending me the photo!
Hoping for the sun but it looks like rain
Hoping for the sun but it looks like rain
Oh yeah, as promised in a previous post. Another of my don't-breakdown-yet songs. More of the rap excerpt actually, since I've bleeped out all of Mariah's singing part. Hehe. One of my all-time favorite songs (Mariah included). This one's the extended remix, more relevant to my situation, too.
__________
Breakdown (The Mo' Thugs Remix)
Mariah Carey + Bone Thugs N Harmony
(Layzie Bone)
Don't break down yet it's over, over (3x)
Don't break down yet it's over
(Krayzie Bone)
Break, breakdown. Steady breaking me on down (2x)
[Mariah: Verse 1] ...
[Mariah: Chorus] ...
[Mariah: Verse 2] ...
[Wish Bone]
Gonna break you down, down, down, only if you let it
(Don't let it)
Everyday crazy situations rocking my mind, trying to break me down
But I won't let it forget it
If you feel the same way that I do
Then let me hear y'all all sing too
Sing, it's al-right, it's alright, it's alright yeah
Hoping for the sun, but it looks like rain
B-O-N-E, but it's still the same
Came this far, but it's been a long road
Troubles gonna come but we gotta stay strong, hold on, on
[Krayzie Bone]
Aw, yeah, I often feel the pressures, y'all
But nevertheless Krayzie won't fall
It's over, it's ending here, here
I said it's over. It's ending here, here
So I'll be on my way
And maybe we can meet up in the future one day
But for now I'm bailing, bailing
Bailing! baby gotta get up, can't take no more I'm headed for the door
Come and take a look into this humble eye
Tell me if we lived a lie
Would our souls unite
[Layzie Bone]
Every new day is a test for me
So I just pray to the Lord for him to bless me, please
There's struggles I'm going through lately
Breaks me down, set me free
Let me be, let me be
Who else do we have to rely on
Whose shoulder can a thug go cry on
Came to get my vibe on
While you look into my eyes
Won't underestimate this soldier story
I'ma tell you right now I'ma stand up
Wrong if I let my lead bust
Pac said keep your head up
Don't let this world get the best of you
All my struggles, I'm through
If it's over, over, over
Don't breakdown yet it's over
[Mariah: Chorus]...
(Break break down)
(Steady breaking me on down)
__________
For those who didn't already know, Bone Thugs rap is like speaking very clearly at a speed of 10words/second. :) Not sure what happened to them though. I thought they split, and then they had this "Resurrection" album, and then I don't know what next.
What's next for me, though, is a duel with Java. I am so exhausted, really, but must hang on. Must hang on. ;P
P.S What's wrong with the tagboard? Hmm.. Tag-board.com better fix it up quick. Please?
Oh yeah, as promised in a previous post. Another of my don't-breakdown-yet songs. More of the rap excerpt actually, since I've bleeped out all of Mariah's singing part. Hehe. One of my all-time favorite songs (Mariah included). This one's the extended remix, more relevant to my situation, too.
__________
Breakdown (The Mo' Thugs Remix)
Mariah Carey + Bone Thugs N Harmony
(Layzie Bone)
Don't break down yet it's over, over (3x)
Don't break down yet it's over
(Krayzie Bone)
Break, breakdown. Steady breaking me on down (2x)
[Mariah: Verse 1] ...
[Mariah: Chorus] ...
[Mariah: Verse 2] ...
[Wish Bone]
Gonna break you down, down, down, only if you let it
(Don't let it)
Everyday crazy situations rocking my mind, trying to break me down
But I won't let it forget it
If you feel the same way that I do
Then let me hear y'all all sing too
Sing, it's al-right, it's alright, it's alright yeah
Hoping for the sun, but it looks like rain
B-O-N-E, but it's still the same
Came this far, but it's been a long road
Troubles gonna come but we gotta stay strong, hold on, on
[Krayzie Bone]
Aw, yeah, I often feel the pressures, y'all
But nevertheless Krayzie won't fall
It's over, it's ending here, here
I said it's over. It's ending here, here
So I'll be on my way
And maybe we can meet up in the future one day
But for now I'm bailing, bailing
Bailing! baby gotta get up, can't take no more I'm headed for the door
Come and take a look into this humble eye
Tell me if we lived a lie
Would our souls unite
[Layzie Bone]
Every new day is a test for me
So I just pray to the Lord for him to bless me, please
There's struggles I'm going through lately
Breaks me down, set me free
Let me be, let me be
Who else do we have to rely on
Whose shoulder can a thug go cry on
Came to get my vibe on
While you look into my eyes
Won't underestimate this soldier story
I'ma tell you right now I'ma stand up
Wrong if I let my lead bust
Pac said keep your head up
Don't let this world get the best of you
All my struggles, I'm through
If it's over, over, over
Don't breakdown yet it's over
[Mariah: Chorus]...
(Break break down)
(Steady breaking me on down)
__________
For those who didn't already know, Bone Thugs rap is like speaking very clearly at a speed of 10words/second. :) Not sure what happened to them though. I thought they split, and then they had this "Resurrection" album, and then I don't know what next.
What's next for me, though, is a duel with Java. I am so exhausted, really, but must hang on. Must hang on. ;P
P.S What's wrong with the tagboard? Hmm.. Tag-board.com better fix it up quick. Please?
And a good time to breakdown is..
And a good time to breakdown is..
..right. about. now.
Hehe. Really, because of the exams looming in the very very near future, everyone in Kent Ridge Hall has turned nocturnal. The dining hall, which is just some twenty steps away from my room, is packed with eyebag-ridden muggers, even right now, at half past 2am. Talk about stress, people. I've been doing my all-nighters the past few days, where I sleep at around 5-6am (sorry Ma, if you're reading this.. hehe), and right before I retire for the night (or morning) after a quick wash-up, I take a peek at the dining hall and lo and behold, the crazy bunch (who apparently took the term "all-nighter" more seriously than I did) would still be there, quietly ruffling through their lecture notes, or staring at their laptops, typing away.
I'm glad though, that I'm finally done with my revision for Linear Algebra. I realized that Dr Roger Poh is indeed a not-too-good (read:bad) lecturer since I picked up more substantial stuff from reading my reference books, but I give him credit for making quite impressive solutions to our tutorials (or maybe I haven't been studying too well?). I've filled about 7/8 of my help sheet (more popularly known among students as "cheat sheet"), which is basically an allowable A4-size paper with handwritten notes, so I'm more or less done with a "rough" revision.
Thanks to Mr Pringles for keeping me company, Howard Anton (Contemporary Linear Algebra, 2003) for being my new best friend, and Nescafe Frothe for keeping me high. God I finished a whole can of Pizzalicious Pringles in two days on my own. About time too, anyway, since my knuckles were turning sore from letting my big hands dig into the tall can.
But of course, things don't stop here. Do you think I'd allow the crazy muggers out there to NOT influence me to study? Hah. You should see the libraries in NUS too, on regular schooldays around this time (today (yesterday) was a holiday, btw, so Happy Hariraya to all Muslims), and you'll see the biggest library mob in your whole life. The effect, perhaps, of the meritocratic education system in Singapore (that I learned in my non-examinable SS module ;)).
So it's Programming from now till Thursday, then I'll brush up my Linear Algebra for Friday's exam. Then it's the open-book final exam for Programming on Saturday.
And now for another all-nighter with my Java notes! Yeeeeey.
..right. about. now.
Hehe. Really, because of the exams looming in the very very near future, everyone in Kent Ridge Hall has turned nocturnal. The dining hall, which is just some twenty steps away from my room, is packed with eyebag-ridden muggers, even right now, at half past 2am. Talk about stress, people. I've been doing my all-nighters the past few days, where I sleep at around 5-6am (sorry Ma, if you're reading this.. hehe), and right before I retire for the night (or morning) after a quick wash-up, I take a peek at the dining hall and lo and behold, the crazy bunch (who apparently took the term "all-nighter" more seriously than I did) would still be there, quietly ruffling through their lecture notes, or staring at their laptops, typing away.
I'm glad though, that I'm finally done with my revision for Linear Algebra. I realized that Dr Roger Poh is indeed a not-too-good (read:bad) lecturer since I picked up more substantial stuff from reading my reference books, but I give him credit for making quite impressive solutions to our tutorials (or maybe I haven't been studying too well?). I've filled about 7/8 of my help sheet (more popularly known among students as "cheat sheet"), which is basically an allowable A4-size paper with handwritten notes, so I'm more or less done with a "rough" revision.
Thanks to Mr Pringles for keeping me company, Howard Anton (Contemporary Linear Algebra, 2003) for being my new best friend, and Nescafe Frothe for keeping me high. God I finished a whole can of Pizzalicious Pringles in two days on my own. About time too, anyway, since my knuckles were turning sore from letting my big hands dig into the tall can.
But of course, things don't stop here. Do you think I'd allow the crazy muggers out there to NOT influence me to study? Hah. You should see the libraries in NUS too, on regular schooldays around this time (today (yesterday) was a holiday, btw, so Happy Hariraya to all Muslims), and you'll see the biggest library mob in your whole life. The effect, perhaps, of the meritocratic education system in Singapore (that I learned in my non-examinable SS module ;)).
So it's Programming from now till Thursday, then I'll brush up my Linear Algebra for Friday's exam. Then it's the open-book final exam for Programming on Saturday.
And now for another all-nighter with my Java notes! Yeeeeey.
Sing when you're winning
Sing when you're winning
Nope, my revision for my coming exams aren't over yet (and it's still a long way ahead too), but I've grown less bitter now. Why I was even bitter in the first place can be blamed on the external factors that have conspired against me, like the totally unpredictable weather (oh yes I got soaked once again when I went to mass just now) that's making me feel so lethargic, this trio of NUS-VPN Client, Norton Internet Security, and Windows XP Service Pack 2 that's been screwing up my internet connection, and several little things here and there that've been hindering me from mugging.
My change of disposition can only be attributed to MUSIC. I've had a healthy dose of music videos last night, thanks to Kiko's link to AOL Music (argh I miss MTV.. no cable in Kent Ridge hall). Anyway, Maroon 5's Harder to Breathe Live performance with surprise surprise, Rob Thomas was way cool. In fact, I suddenly realized that Harder to Breathe could very well be a Matchbox20 song.. Anyway, I finally saw videos that everybody seems to have watched already. Props to Eminem for making the ultra-catchy Just Lose It (although I don't like Mosh), to Usher and his string of cool videos (hah I watched Confessions only now), and Destiny's Child for making a hot comeback as a group. Those girls can dance, all right, and you'll literally be given a double treat in Lose my Breath. Alicia Keys.. what can I say. She's very pretty, don't you think? I like her better in My Boo than in Karma though. I spent some time going through the live sessions too, of Maroon 5 and Jason Mraz.
It was therapeutic, I tell you, listening to music. I turned off my Windows Media Player (with my 2000+ mp3s) for a while so I could study, and I found myself singing aloud in the wee hours of the morning as I was mugging. Haha. Good thing my Singaporean neighbors are home for the weekend, so I even had a singing-in-the-shower session. Haha. Good practice for the NUS Choir caroling sessions in December. ;)
Anyway, I'm feeling giddy and recharged today. Must be the homily too, by Fr Ignatius Yeo. I realized that there is a difference between endurance and putting up with something. For a while there I felt the homily was for me, as now I know I should endure my intense student chores, and not put up with them.
Hmm.. I'm in a rapping mood right now. Haha, believe it or not, I was into Bone Thugs some years back. One of the few perks of being able to speak at lightning speed is that you can manage to do some Bone Thugs stuff. I'll post the lyrics of my favorite Bone Thugs rap next entry.
Happy mugging, Joseph.
Nope, my revision for my coming exams aren't over yet (and it's still a long way ahead too), but I've grown less bitter now. Why I was even bitter in the first place can be blamed on the external factors that have conspired against me, like the totally unpredictable weather (oh yes I got soaked once again when I went to mass just now) that's making me feel so lethargic, this trio of NUS-VPN Client, Norton Internet Security, and Windows XP Service Pack 2 that's been screwing up my internet connection, and several little things here and there that've been hindering me from mugging.
My change of disposition can only be attributed to MUSIC. I've had a healthy dose of music videos last night, thanks to Kiko's link to AOL Music (argh I miss MTV.. no cable in Kent Ridge hall). Anyway, Maroon 5's Harder to Breathe Live performance with surprise surprise, Rob Thomas was way cool. In fact, I suddenly realized that Harder to Breathe could very well be a Matchbox20 song.. Anyway, I finally saw videos that everybody seems to have watched already. Props to Eminem for making the ultra-catchy Just Lose It (although I don't like Mosh), to Usher and his string of cool videos (hah I watched Confessions only now), and Destiny's Child for making a hot comeback as a group. Those girls can dance, all right, and you'll literally be given a double treat in Lose my Breath. Alicia Keys.. what can I say. She's very pretty, don't you think? I like her better in My Boo than in Karma though. I spent some time going through the live sessions too, of Maroon 5 and Jason Mraz.
It was therapeutic, I tell you, listening to music. I turned off my Windows Media Player (with my 2000+ mp3s) for a while so I could study, and I found myself singing aloud in the wee hours of the morning as I was mugging. Haha. Good thing my Singaporean neighbors are home for the weekend, so I even had a singing-in-the-shower session. Haha. Good practice for the NUS Choir caroling sessions in December. ;)
Anyway, I'm feeling giddy and recharged today. Must be the homily too, by Fr Ignatius Yeo. I realized that there is a difference between endurance and putting up with something. For a while there I felt the homily was for me, as now I know I should endure my intense student chores, and not put up with them.
Hmm.. I'm in a rapping mood right now. Haha, believe it or not, I was into Bone Thugs some years back. One of the few perks of being able to speak at lightning speed is that you can manage to do some Bone Thugs stuff. I'll post the lyrics of my favorite Bone Thugs rap next entry.
Happy mugging, Joseph.
Distraction #99
Distraction #99
But it's a good one, I tell you.
Remember my Singapore Studies essay? (Well how couldn't you, when I've been blabbering about it in many posts :P) Yep, it's that research essay on Corridor, a short story collection by Alfian Sa'at. And yessss, it's the one I painstakingly worked on till the wee hours of the morning for several nights, and about which I emailed my tutor because of sudden roadblocks that conveniently popped up one day before the deadline (word length, the issue of whether it should discuss the author's viewpoints or mine).
I finally submitted my essay this rainy afternoon (and yes I got soaking wet once again), after letting Karen, Ferron, and Michael read it, so I could get an idea of how I'll fare. Karen pointed out some flaws in my assumptions (which I tried to correct later on), Ferron gave thorough critique of my presentation, and Michael gave it an 8.5/10, which is good enough for me. I myself am unsure about the essay: it's 200 words over the Suggested Length of 2500, and although I am still clinging on to the belief that I should present the author's perspectives more than my opinion because the instruction says so ("how the text represents Singapore"), I am still unsure about the whole thing.
So imagine my surprise when I received this email:
_________
From : Alfian Bin Sa'at
Sent : Friday, November 12, 2004 5:06:32 PM
To : joseph soroñgon
Subject : Re: thanks again!
Dear Joseph,
I got your message that you left on my diaryland guestbook. I was wondering if I
could trouble you with sending me that essay you're writing on 'Corridor'? It would
such a pleasure and honour to read.
Alfian. : )
=====
If you care too much about Singapore,
First it'll break your spirit
And then it'll break your heart.
__________
This freaked me out a bit. See, I signed Alfian's guestbook in his diaryland journal (which contains very interesting and insightful material too), and although I did say that I was writing a paper on his short story collection, Corridor, I didn't hope or expect him to ask me to send it. Hehe, just want to clarify that I wasn't doing any fishing of sorts. I signed his guestbook, more as a form of relief that the bloody essay was nearing its completion, and a sign of gratitude for "helping" me make the essay. I mean, no Alfian -> no Corridor -> no essay, right?
Now, all I can think of is, "I'm not worthy!!" God I am such a sucker for successful writers. I am envious, as a matter of fact. And although some signs here and there would tell you that I may just be underestimating myself (my writing awards and credits I am sincerely thankful for and mighty proud of, don't get me wrong), I still am awed by these writers of top calibre. I mean, they're on a totally different plane! But then again, I'm only 18, soo.. it only gets better. Hehe.
Still, I'm a bit anxious about sending Alfian a copy of my essay. It's like playing an original guitar composition to Jason Mraz, or giving Usher a sample of one's own dance moves. Imagine that! Or, dealing with something closer to home, how about letting Jessica Zafra read your English assignment? You get the drift. I'm still sending it, though, and I hope he won't be too disappointed. Thank you Alfian, though, for emailing one of your fans. ;)
Oh, btw, if you don't know who the great Alfian Sa'at is, click on this link to access one of my earlier posts.
Hmm.. I think I've spent too much time blogging now, and this is yet another distraction to my study time! Argh, and to think the cold rain has lulled me to sleep all afternoon. Hmph. Linear algebra awaits.
But it's a good one, I tell you.
Remember my Singapore Studies essay? (Well how couldn't you, when I've been blabbering about it in many posts :P) Yep, it's that research essay on Corridor, a short story collection by Alfian Sa'at. And yessss, it's the one I painstakingly worked on till the wee hours of the morning for several nights, and about which I emailed my tutor because of sudden roadblocks that conveniently popped up one day before the deadline (word length, the issue of whether it should discuss the author's viewpoints or mine).
I finally submitted my essay this rainy afternoon (and yes I got soaking wet once again), after letting Karen, Ferron, and Michael read it, so I could get an idea of how I'll fare. Karen pointed out some flaws in my assumptions (which I tried to correct later on), Ferron gave thorough critique of my presentation, and Michael gave it an 8.5/10, which is good enough for me. I myself am unsure about the essay: it's 200 words over the Suggested Length of 2500, and although I am still clinging on to the belief that I should present the author's perspectives more than my opinion because the instruction says so ("how the text represents Singapore"), I am still unsure about the whole thing.
So imagine my surprise when I received this email:
_________
From : Alfian Bin Sa'at
Sent : Friday, November 12, 2004 5:06:32 PM
To : joseph soroñgon
Subject : Re: thanks again!
Dear Joseph,
I got your message that you left on my diaryland guestbook. I was wondering if I
could trouble you with sending me that essay you're writing on 'Corridor'? It would
such a pleasure and honour to read.
Alfian. : )
=====
If you care too much about Singapore,
First it'll break your spirit
And then it'll break your heart.
__________
This freaked me out a bit. See, I signed Alfian's guestbook in his diaryland journal (which contains very interesting and insightful material too), and although I did say that I was writing a paper on his short story collection, Corridor, I didn't hope or expect him to ask me to send it. Hehe, just want to clarify that I wasn't doing any fishing of sorts. I signed his guestbook, more as a form of relief that the bloody essay was nearing its completion, and a sign of gratitude for "helping" me make the essay. I mean, no Alfian -> no Corridor -> no essay, right?
Now, all I can think of is, "I'm not worthy!!" God I am such a sucker for successful writers. I am envious, as a matter of fact. And although some signs here and there would tell you that I may just be underestimating myself (my writing awards and credits I am sincerely thankful for and mighty proud of, don't get me wrong), I still am awed by these writers of top calibre. I mean, they're on a totally different plane! But then again, I'm only 18, soo.. it only gets better. Hehe.
Still, I'm a bit anxious about sending Alfian a copy of my essay. It's like playing an original guitar composition to Jason Mraz, or giving Usher a sample of one's own dance moves. Imagine that! Or, dealing with something closer to home, how about letting Jessica Zafra read your English assignment? You get the drift. I'm still sending it, though, and I hope he won't be too disappointed. Thank you Alfian, though, for emailing one of your fans. ;)
Oh, btw, if you don't know who the great Alfian Sa'at is, click on this link to access one of my earlier posts.
Hmm.. I think I've spent too much time blogging now, and this is yet another distraction to my study time! Argh, and to think the cold rain has lulled me to sleep all afternoon. Hmph. Linear algebra awaits.
Running
Running
Sigh. I'm tired. Been doing this 2500-word final assignment for my Singapore Studies. Yes, that's the module I gave a tribute to in the last post. Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying writing this paper, but I wish there wasn't any deadline! And this online Factiva database, which I access for research material (mainly journals and newpapers), is too large, yet skimpy on the good substantial ones. Too late for me to complain actually, since I've secured all my research, and now I'm just organizing the whole thing into a coherent, smart-sounding piece of text within (or just around) the suggested word length. And oh yeah, my paper is an analysis of poet-cum-playwright Alfian Sa'at's Corridor, a short story collection, and how it represents Singapore. (Trust me, what he says you'll never find in any Singapore travel brochure =P)
Then it's the exams for me. Two major ones next week.
Programming Methodology (Java!) and Linear Algebra.
Here's one of my hang-on-in-there songs. Works just fine.
___________
Running
by No Doubt
Run/ Running all the time/ Running to the future/ With you right by my side
Me/ I'm the one you chose/ Out of all the people/ You wanted me the most/
I'm so sorry that I'm falling/ Help me up let's keep on running/
Don't let me fall out of love
Running, running/ As fast as we can/ Do you think we'll make it?/ (Do you think we'll make it?)/
We're running/ Keep holding my hand/ It's so we don't get separated
Be/ Be the one I need/ Be the one I trust most/ Don't stop inspiring me/
Sometimes it's hard to keep on running/ We work so much to keep it going/
Don't make me want to give up
___
Now I gotta run and do some mugging, because I'm running out of time, too.
Sigh. I'm tired. Been doing this 2500-word final assignment for my Singapore Studies. Yes, that's the module I gave a tribute to in the last post. Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying writing this paper, but I wish there wasn't any deadline! And this online Factiva database, which I access for research material (mainly journals and newpapers), is too large, yet skimpy on the good substantial ones. Too late for me to complain actually, since I've secured all my research, and now I'm just organizing the whole thing into a coherent, smart-sounding piece of text within (or just around) the suggested word length. And oh yeah, my paper is an analysis of poet-cum-playwright Alfian Sa'at's Corridor, a short story collection, and how it represents Singapore. (Trust me, what he says you'll never find in any Singapore travel brochure =P)
Then it's the exams for me. Two major ones next week.
Programming Methodology (Java!) and Linear Algebra.
Here's one of my hang-on-in-there songs. Works just fine.
___________
Running
by No Doubt
Run/ Running all the time/ Running to the future/ With you right by my side
Me/ I'm the one you chose/ Out of all the people/ You wanted me the most/
I'm so sorry that I'm falling/ Help me up let's keep on running/
Don't let me fall out of love
Running, running/ As fast as we can/ Do you think we'll make it?/ (Do you think we'll make it?)/
We're running/ Keep holding my hand/ It's so we don't get separated
Be/ Be the one I need/ Be the one I trust most/ Don't stop inspiring me/
Sometimes it's hard to keep on running/ We work so much to keep it going/
Don't make me want to give up
___
Now I gotta run and do some mugging, because I'm running out of time, too.
SSA1206: Representing Singapore
SSA1206: Representing Singapore
My Singapore Studies module formally ended this afternoon. We had our second quiz, about film and TV, where I struggled to scribble everything I knew about the short video clips from the blockbuster hit I Not Stupid and the popular "national sitcom" Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd.
I was surprised too, when Dr Holden clarified that there will be no more tutorials this week, when my tutor, Ms Wang, specifically told me last week that we would have one last one. Apparently, this last session was the end of it all, and Dr Holden gave a wrap-up of the module, and distributed some feedback forms.
I've always maintained that my SS module is my most enjoyable module this sem, and I am quite sad that it ends today. I've always kidded around, saying that I'm working harder on my SS, which is basically just a supplementary module, than my core modules for my major, Statistics! Haha. But really, I feel this SS would pull my grade average up, since I am not exactly excelling in my core modules. ;)
Anyway, I don't seem to find closure just yet, maybe because it's not over over, as the 2500-word final assignment is still due on Friday, but I just want to blog it in, that I had fun taking the module, and I am grateful for the exposure to different popular media in Singapore (novel, poetry, play, film, tv) and the insights I gained about Singapore as a whole.
BTW, this SS module is a new one, offered for the first time this semester, and I hope they keep it in the succeeding sems. I believe that "fun" modules should complement the more intense, technical, analytical ones, to keep us all happily sane.
Maybe I'll minor in English Studies or Sociology? Now that's a thought.
My Singapore Studies module formally ended this afternoon. We had our second quiz, about film and TV, where I struggled to scribble everything I knew about the short video clips from the blockbuster hit I Not Stupid and the popular "national sitcom" Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd.
I was surprised too, when Dr Holden clarified that there will be no more tutorials this week, when my tutor, Ms Wang, specifically told me last week that we would have one last one. Apparently, this last session was the end of it all, and Dr Holden gave a wrap-up of the module, and distributed some feedback forms.
I've always maintained that my SS module is my most enjoyable module this sem, and I am quite sad that it ends today. I've always kidded around, saying that I'm working harder on my SS, which is basically just a supplementary module, than my core modules for my major, Statistics! Haha. But really, I feel this SS would pull my grade average up, since I am not exactly excelling in my core modules. ;)
Anyway, I don't seem to find closure just yet, maybe because it's not over over, as the 2500-word final assignment is still due on Friday, but I just want to blog it in, that I had fun taking the module, and I am grateful for the exposure to different popular media in Singapore (novel, poetry, play, film, tv) and the insights I gained about Singapore as a whole.
BTW, this SS module is a new one, offered for the first time this semester, and I hope they keep it in the succeeding sems. I believe that "fun" modules should complement the more intense, technical, analytical ones, to keep us all happily sane.
Maybe I'll minor in English Studies or Sociology? Now that's a thought.
