Mad season
Ahhh.. the madness of this week. =P
I've successfully(!) finished the lab report collection and the heavy genetics assignment (Thanks to all those who helped!), sat through an excruciating midterm test in genetics (in which I learned that my statistics background could have theoretically helped me, except that Dr Chew apparently won't give me full marks for my use of a creative mathematical/commonsensical backdoor approach in tackling the Mendelian ratio problem), and now I have a Literature test and 1200-word position paper due tomorrow!
Haha, it so stressful it's making me laugh. Is that weird? Or maybe, as Karen says, the thread by which my sanity hangs may just have snapped. Hah. You're just too happy Karen. :D
And oh yeah, poor little me has had to fork out 450 dollars from my savings account (and with some help from Arthur) for the Czech competition. So tada! I'm officially broke.
Last night was formal Command Dinner and definitely-NOT-formal Command Performance. I didn't know that KR gave such a big tribute to the final-year seniors! They even have a valedictorian, among a host of other awards. And the Command performance was MAD. It was so long it lasted around 3 hours, but it was MAD fun, where they put the final-years (the people) into very interesting situations. KR indeed is a family hall, and the absence of the final-years next year will be affectionately felt by the KR community.
OK, now that I've succumbed to the blogging temptation, it's time to get back to churning words and words on racial profiling in the Singapore context. So help me God. Wooooooohoo.
Before sunrise + Easter Thoughts
Before sunrise
OK, so I've procrastinated long enough, and yet I'm still blogging.
Good Friday was a holiday, and I swore to myself I'd finish my lab reports that day. I was up all night, and finally slept at 7:30am. And yet, no lab reports yet! Sigh, must learn to control my bloghopping/choir forum/Friendster/MSN messenger/good ol' surfing and googling/staring-into-nothingness-while-listening-to-music addiction.
Black Saturday came, and I vowed to finish the stuff before sunset, but then I fell asleep all afternoon! And now, after Diana's small birthday party (organized by Steph.. thanks for the yummy Swensen's ice cream cake!), I have finally decided to give myself an ultimatum.
So it's that's before sunrise. 2:07am now, so that gives me about 5 hours (since sunrise here is at 7) to do 6 pages of lab reports.
I was feeling a bit disappointed in myself too, for not being diligent in my studies (especially since the mountain of work is too BIG to ignore), and at these special times too, these few important holy days, when I'm (presumably) supposed to be more willing to sacrifice my pleasures, more than anything. My attempts to skip meat for all meals, all forty days of Lent (I try to, as much as I can) now seem to lack significance as I could not even control myself on these very important days.
But today I was thinking, that maybe, precisely because of JC's death on Friday and Saturday, the two days I was most yielding to pleasure, that I was unable to sacrifice. They say that upon Jesus death the bad spirits abound and, yeah, maybe they got into me and lured me away from the tasks set for me to do.
Or maybe that's just a lousy excuse to justify my stupidity.
Anyway, hopefully by posting this entry I will be reminded of the ultimatum I have set for myself, and stick to the freakin' job and stop sleeping!
* * *
Easter thoughts
Thanks to Fiona for sending me this inspirational flash presentation about JC's death and the gifts of the cross. Although the craziness of schoolwork and hallwork are no doubt keeping me from observing the solemnity of the Holy Week, I still manage to be thankful to JC for the tremendous sacrifice He's made.
There's this thought that lately comes to mind when I think of JC. It's the "Franny and Zooey" description of him. That's the other (some say better) brilliant story by JD Salinger.
Here's an excerpt I got from here (jump to page 28 though), when big brother Zooey, 26, forcefully confronts sister Franny, 20, about her recent behavior. For weeks she’s been inconsolable, on the verge of an apparent emotional collapse. She refuses most food and is making life miserable for Bessie, their mother. The only thing Franny does is recite the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus, have mercy on me, a miserable sinner” over and over again in the hope that over time, quantity will turn to quality. Zooey is a popular TV actor, and Franny, still in college, was an aspiring actress up until this period of remorse and spiritual seeking.
“The part that stumps me, really stumps me, is that I can’t see why anybody ... would even want to say the prayer to a Jesus who was the least bit different from the way he looks and sounds in the New Testament. My God! He’s only the most intelligent man in the Bible, that’s all! Who isn’t he head and shoulders over? Who? .... Who besides Jesus really knew which end was up? Nobody. Not Moses. Don’t tell me Moses. He was a nice man, and he kept in beautiful touch with his God, and all that — but that’s exactly the point. He had to keep in touch. Jesus realized there is no separation from God... Who else, for example, would have kept his mouth shut when Pilate asked for an explanation? Not Solomon. Don’t say Solomon. Solomon would have had a few pithy words for the occasion ....
Most of all, above everything else, who in the Bible besides Jesus knew — knew — that we’re carrying the kingdom of Heaven around with us, inside, where we’re all too ... stupid and sentimental and unimaginative to look? You have to be a son of God to know that kind of stuff. Why don’t you think of these things? I mean it, Franny, I’m being serious. When you don’t see Jesus for exactly what he was, you miss the whole point of the Jesus Prayer. If you don’t understand Jesus, you can’t understand his prayer .... Jesus was a supreme adept, by God, on a terribly important mission. This was no St. Francis, with enough time to knock out a few [songs], or to preach to the birds, or to do any of the other endearing things so close to Franny Glass’s heart .... How can you miss seeing that!? If God had wanted someone with St. Francis’s consistently winning personality for the job in the New Testament, he’d’ve picked him, you can be sure. As it was, he picked the smartest, the most loving, the least sentimental, the most unimitative master he could possibly have picked. And when you miss seeing that, I swear to you, you’re missing the whole point of the Jesus Prayer. The Jesus Prayer has one aim, and one aim only. To endow the person who says it with Christ-Consciousness. Not to set up some little cozy, holier-than-thou [meeting] place with some divine personage who’ll take you in his arms and relieve you of all your duties and make all your nasty [pain and heartache] and Professor Tuppers go away and never come back. And by God, if you have intelligence enough to see that — and you do — and yet refuse to see it, then you’re misusing the prayer, you’re using it to ask for a world full of dolls and saints and no Professor Tuppers.”
I like it when Zooey says these things the in-your-face semi-harsh sort of way. After all, I never was a fan of the highfalutin flowered up style of speaking/writing anyway. Here it's raw and direct, and it hit me, made me think.
There. Some philosophical thoughts just in time for Easter! Happy Easter everyone.
OK, so I've procrastinated long enough, and yet I'm still blogging.
Good Friday was a holiday, and I swore to myself I'd finish my lab reports that day. I was up all night, and finally slept at 7:30am. And yet, no lab reports yet! Sigh, must learn to control my bloghopping/choir forum/Friendster/MSN messenger/good ol' surfing and googling/staring-into-nothingness-while-listening-to-music addiction.
Black Saturday came, and I vowed to finish the stuff before sunset, but then I fell asleep all afternoon! And now, after Diana's small birthday party (organized by Steph.. thanks for the yummy Swensen's ice cream cake!), I have finally decided to give myself an ultimatum.
So it's that's before sunrise. 2:07am now, so that gives me about 5 hours (since sunrise here is at 7) to do 6 pages of lab reports.
I was feeling a bit disappointed in myself too, for not being diligent in my studies (especially since the mountain of work is too BIG to ignore), and at these special times too, these few important holy days, when I'm (presumably) supposed to be more willing to sacrifice my pleasures, more than anything. My attempts to skip meat for all meals, all forty days of Lent (I try to, as much as I can) now seem to lack significance as I could not even control myself on these very important days.
But today I was thinking, that maybe, precisely because of JC's death on Friday and Saturday, the two days I was most yielding to pleasure, that I was unable to sacrifice. They say that upon Jesus death the bad spirits abound and, yeah, maybe they got into me and lured me away from the tasks set for me to do.
Or maybe that's just a lousy excuse to justify my stupidity.
Anyway, hopefully by posting this entry I will be reminded of the ultimatum I have set for myself, and stick to the freakin' job and stop sleeping!
* * *
Easter thoughts
Thanks to Fiona for sending me this inspirational flash presentation about JC's death and the gifts of the cross. Although the craziness of schoolwork and hallwork are no doubt keeping me from observing the solemnity of the Holy Week, I still manage to be thankful to JC for the tremendous sacrifice He's made.
There's this thought that lately comes to mind when I think of JC. It's the "Franny and Zooey" description of him. That's the other (some say better) brilliant story by JD Salinger.
Here's an excerpt I got from here (jump to page 28 though), when big brother Zooey, 26, forcefully confronts sister Franny, 20, about her recent behavior. For weeks she’s been inconsolable, on the verge of an apparent emotional collapse. She refuses most food and is making life miserable for Bessie, their mother. The only thing Franny does is recite the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus, have mercy on me, a miserable sinner” over and over again in the hope that over time, quantity will turn to quality. Zooey is a popular TV actor, and Franny, still in college, was an aspiring actress up until this period of remorse and spiritual seeking.
“The part that stumps me, really stumps me, is that I can’t see why anybody ... would even want to say the prayer to a Jesus who was the least bit different from the way he looks and sounds in the New Testament. My God! He’s only the most intelligent man in the Bible, that’s all! Who isn’t he head and shoulders over? Who? .... Who besides Jesus really knew which end was up? Nobody. Not Moses. Don’t tell me Moses. He was a nice man, and he kept in beautiful touch with his God, and all that — but that’s exactly the point. He had to keep in touch. Jesus realized there is no separation from God... Who else, for example, would have kept his mouth shut when Pilate asked for an explanation? Not Solomon. Don’t say Solomon. Solomon would have had a few pithy words for the occasion ....
Most of all, above everything else, who in the Bible besides Jesus knew — knew — that we’re carrying the kingdom of Heaven around with us, inside, where we’re all too ... stupid and sentimental and unimaginative to look? You have to be a son of God to know that kind of stuff. Why don’t you think of these things? I mean it, Franny, I’m being serious. When you don’t see Jesus for exactly what he was, you miss the whole point of the Jesus Prayer. If you don’t understand Jesus, you can’t understand his prayer .... Jesus was a supreme adept, by God, on a terribly important mission. This was no St. Francis, with enough time to knock out a few [songs], or to preach to the birds, or to do any of the other endearing things so close to Franny Glass’s heart .... How can you miss seeing that!? If God had wanted someone with St. Francis’s consistently winning personality for the job in the New Testament, he’d’ve picked him, you can be sure. As it was, he picked the smartest, the most loving, the least sentimental, the most unimitative master he could possibly have picked. And when you miss seeing that, I swear to you, you’re missing the whole point of the Jesus Prayer. The Jesus Prayer has one aim, and one aim only. To endow the person who says it with Christ-Consciousness. Not to set up some little cozy, holier-than-thou [meeting] place with some divine personage who’ll take you in his arms and relieve you of all your duties and make all your nasty [pain and heartache] and Professor Tuppers go away and never come back. And by God, if you have intelligence enough to see that — and you do — and yet refuse to see it, then you’re misusing the prayer, you’re using it to ask for a world full of dolls and saints and no Professor Tuppers.”
I like it when Zooey says these things the in-your-face semi-harsh sort of way. After all, I never was a fan of the highfalutin flowered up style of speaking/writing anyway. Here it's raw and direct, and it hit me, made me think.
There. Some philosophical thoughts just in time for Easter! Happy Easter everyone.
Please remind me that
Please remind me that..
He will not test you beyond your strength.
That all the world's collective woes are nothing compared to His supreme sacrifice.
That there is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can circumvent the resolve of a determined soul. (E. Wilcox)
That mugging is the way of life in the university, and that the happy mugger makes the grade.
He will not test you beyond your strength.
That all the world's collective woes are nothing compared to His supreme sacrifice.
That there is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can circumvent the resolve of a determined soul. (E. Wilcox)
That mugging is the way of life in the university, and that the happy mugger makes the grade.
Namesake
Namesake
That last post prompted my mom to email me! Thanks Ma for the motivation! As she pointed out, March 19 (I published that post early morning of it) was the feast day of St. Joseph, Jesus' dad, after whom I was named (that and some other reasons). Ironically, March 19 was a bad day for me! Haa.. where do I start? Maybe the fact that I got lost in the Bus 51 circuit and ended up riding 4 more bus rides and wasting hours of study time? Well, mostly that, so it wasn't so bad after all, really.
Calculus test tomorrow. Another (nick)namesake of mine was amazingly good at calculus. In fact, he invented it, along with Newton. His surname is the nickname my Dad gave me, never mind if the pronunciation's quite tricky. But although I was quite a Math person (at least before university), I was never a fan of calculus. Hmm.. that's another disparity between me and a namesake! Ah the irony.
But I'm gonna ace this test, and declaring it is the first step. Next step is to publish this post and get on mugging. :)
That last post prompted my mom to email me! Thanks Ma for the motivation! As she pointed out, March 19 (I published that post early morning of it) was the feast day of St. Joseph, Jesus' dad, after whom I was named (that and some other reasons). Ironically, March 19 was a bad day for me! Haa.. where do I start? Maybe the fact that I got lost in the Bus 51 circuit and ended up riding 4 more bus rides and wasting hours of study time? Well, mostly that, so it wasn't so bad after all, really.
Calculus test tomorrow. Another (nick)namesake of mine was amazingly good at calculus. In fact, he invented it, along with Newton. His surname is the nickname my Dad gave me, never mind if the pronunciation's quite tricky. But although I was quite a Math person (at least before university), I was never a fan of calculus. Hmm.. that's another disparity between me and a namesake! Ah the irony.
But I'm gonna ace this test, and declaring it is the first step. Next step is to publish this post and get on mugging. :)
...
...
I bought my sister Kai her IBook G4 during the IT show last weekend. It's her high school graduation gift, sponsored by Dad (but temporarily I had to cover for a bulk of the expenses). I opened it just moments ago, and now I realize that she'll love it. Mac is the too cool and too funky! I set up the .Mac online subscription, installed the Mac softwares (thanks Kor for the Mac Office!), downloaded some useful programs from the net. Happy graduation Kai. Proud of you, really.
This was supposed to be a short entry, and it shall be. Some developments, though. There's some tension between me and one second floor guy who wants to move down to the first floor next schoolyear. For the first time in KR history, people actually want to move to the first floor! I remember the first floor being described as the D block Dungeon early last sem, and the home of "phantoms", or those who severely lack hall/block spirit and who just stay in hall to eat, sleep and study on their own. Anyway, I don't wanna talk about the details anymore, as it's supposedly over now although it's still bothering me a bit, but I'm determined to stay in my room.
Developments of late include Dr Ng's clarification that Monday's Calculus test would be of the closed-book type, without the one page helpsheet I was counting on. And the sudden announcement that the KR Choir concert will have to be held, however inconvenient and stressful for everybody, next Thursday.
Now I don't want to post such stressful and agonizing entries in my journal, nor do I wish to be pitied, but really, I'm about to snap. If my calculations are correct, unless I do something prevent it, I'm either gonna crack my skull in the next two weeks, or my zits will surface by the dozens and will collectively pop like firecrackers, as part of my body's reflex response to diffuse the mounting tension.
And, by the way, why is it that when one is most burdened, he feels most empty too?
Sigh. I suddenly realize that it's hiatus time once again.
I bought my sister Kai her IBook G4 during the IT show last weekend. It's her high school graduation gift, sponsored by Dad (but temporarily I had to cover for a bulk of the expenses). I opened it just moments ago, and now I realize that she'll love it. Mac is the too cool and too funky! I set up the .Mac online subscription, installed the Mac softwares (thanks Kor for the Mac Office!), downloaded some useful programs from the net. Happy graduation Kai. Proud of you, really.
This was supposed to be a short entry, and it shall be. Some developments, though. There's some tension between me and one second floor guy who wants to move down to the first floor next schoolyear. For the first time in KR history, people actually want to move to the first floor! I remember the first floor being described as the D block Dungeon early last sem, and the home of "phantoms", or those who severely lack hall/block spirit and who just stay in hall to eat, sleep and study on their own. Anyway, I don't wanna talk about the details anymore, as it's supposedly over now although it's still bothering me a bit, but I'm determined to stay in my room.
Developments of late include Dr Ng's clarification that Monday's Calculus test would be of the closed-book type, without the one page helpsheet I was counting on. And the sudden announcement that the KR Choir concert will have to be held, however inconvenient and stressful for everybody, next Thursday.
Now I don't want to post such stressful and agonizing entries in my journal, nor do I wish to be pitied, but really, I'm about to snap. If my calculations are correct, unless I do something prevent it, I'm either gonna crack my skull in the next two weeks, or my zits will surface by the dozens and will collectively pop like firecrackers, as part of my body's reflex response to diffuse the mounting tension.
And, by the way, why is it that when one is most burdened, he feels most empty too?
Sigh. I suddenly realize that it's hiatus time once again.
It's an update!
It's an update!
I remember those days months ago, even a year ago, when finding a new post or update in my blog was nothing to get excited about. My posts came at frequent intervals, sometimes even a number of times a day. Lately, it may seem like I'm a lazy blogger, but really, I'm just a tired and stressed out mugger under pressure. :D
Really, it's mugging time in the university! Everyone's going bonkers, if MSN nicks are to be believed. Tests coming up, papers, the whole deal, but I shan't elaborate much lest I cause you undue stress.
So why am I posting? Hah, let me let you in on a little secret. My dear Mama is one of my frequent visitors. Yey. So since I'm too broke to call home, and, even when I do call, it's always rush-rush because S$10 for 23 minutes is bloody expensive, and I never talk to my mom the longest (relative to Dad and Kai and Lola) since according to her too, she reads my blog anyway. In fact, my dear Mama tells me right before she passes the phone to Dad or Kai, "Keep on blogging!" Hee.
So, because my family loves me and would not mind an update of my life, I shall do the thing I wanted to skip today: I shall blog.
Hmmm..
What more relevant "me" issue than the stuff I told you might possibly cause you undue stress. So I shall say them anyway (haha):
Things that are driving me bonkers right now:
+ Calculus test on 21/3
+ Molecular Genetics (*gasp*) midterm test on 30/3
+ Molecular Genetics (*double gasp*) lab report collection of FOUR due on 31/3
+ Molecular Genetics (*...*) big assignment due on 31/3
+ Intro to Literary Studies midterm test (about ALL of our readings) on 1/4
+ Evaluating Academic Arguments Position Paper of 1200 words on 1/4
+ Payment of $450 for Competition trip on 31/3
Sigh. Even I'm getting stressed just typing those out. But goody, I managed to get through two of my tasks yesterday! My Evaluating Acad Arguments Critique was due yesterday at 1pm, so of course, good little me was able to submit on time... never mind if I was rereading the essay to be critiqued over and over again all day the previous day without enough faults and holes to find, and up to 1245pm, 15 minutes before class, I was still typing and printing the paper (printer conveniently ran out of ink too, btw, at 1250pm).
And of course, last night was International Relations Night! Haha, finally the event that we in the IRC have been preparing for. Yess, it was for this reason too that I was cooking leche flan (very sweet milk and caramel custard) for 150 people 24 hours of Sunday (next time I'll tell the Block to buy a steamer to make my life easier). But the IRN went great! Thanks models Ivy and Robs! And wooohoooo, in the free International Supper afterwards, many people looooovvvvvvvved my leche flan! Yippeee, I was told it was the "best among all the dishes" (the other dishes were mostly spicy and exotic-tasting), "tasted great", "yummy", and some even went back for more servings, and Siaw Ling, a Malaysian friend even wanted the recipe! Ahhh.. that part about hard work paying off rings true once again. Next time I'll work on the presentation! Haha.
And oh yeah, last Monday I confirmed my attendance to the Olomouc choir competion. While my efforts to beg fellow basses Kurien and Charles and Derence to go didn't work, I signed up. It's gonna be fun, I'm sure, and I'm still trying not to appear too excited about the whole thing especially since this is gonna be my first time. Catch is that I'm gonna have to shell out S$1500! The choir is making a great sacrifice too, as they're digging into the funds pool from the previous batches to sponsor about 500 bucks for each one of the 30 or so going. They're sponsoring the choir festival fees and all, while the 1500 we'll pay is just airfare from Singapore to Czech Republic and back. God please let me earn money during the holidays! And, as new President Keng Khoon has emphasized, because they've invested a LOT in this, we have to bring home the gold. Pressure! And my voice "guide" Lyndley isn't going! And incredibly musical Charles! And Bass SL Quee Ming! Presssssure.
Okay, I think this entry's too long already, and I've spent more than 30 minutes of precious time typing!
Smile and be happy everyone. I'm gonna mug like hell this week. God help me in Molecular Genetics. Off to the library I go to have a date with Miss Jean Brodie (that's Maggie Smith a.k.a. Minerva Macgonagall getting an Oscar in 1969 too).
Music of the Moment: Michael Buble & Nelly Furtado's Quando, Quando, Quando
Currently feeling muggerish.
I remember those days months ago, even a year ago, when finding a new post or update in my blog was nothing to get excited about. My posts came at frequent intervals, sometimes even a number of times a day. Lately, it may seem like I'm a lazy blogger, but really, I'm just a tired and stressed out mugger under pressure. :D
Really, it's mugging time in the university! Everyone's going bonkers, if MSN nicks are to be believed. Tests coming up, papers, the whole deal, but I shan't elaborate much lest I cause you undue stress.
So why am I posting? Hah, let me let you in on a little secret. My dear Mama is one of my frequent visitors. Yey. So since I'm too broke to call home, and, even when I do call, it's always rush-rush because S$10 for 23 minutes is bloody expensive, and I never talk to my mom the longest (relative to Dad and Kai and Lola) since according to her too, she reads my blog anyway. In fact, my dear Mama tells me right before she passes the phone to Dad or Kai, "Keep on blogging!" Hee.
So, because my family loves me and would not mind an update of my life, I shall do the thing I wanted to skip today: I shall blog.
Hmmm..
What more relevant "me" issue than the stuff I told you might possibly cause you undue stress. So I shall say them anyway (haha):
Things that are driving me bonkers right now:
+ Calculus test on 21/3
+ Molecular Genetics (*gasp*) midterm test on 30/3
+ Molecular Genetics (*double gasp*) lab report collection of FOUR due on 31/3
+ Molecular Genetics (*...*) big assignment due on 31/3
+ Intro to Literary Studies midterm test (about ALL of our readings) on 1/4
+ Evaluating Academic Arguments Position Paper of 1200 words on 1/4
+ Payment of $450 for Competition trip on 31/3
Sigh. Even I'm getting stressed just typing those out. But goody, I managed to get through two of my tasks yesterday! My Evaluating Acad Arguments Critique was due yesterday at 1pm, so of course, good little me was able to submit on time... never mind if I was rereading the essay to be critiqued over and over again all day the previous day without enough faults and holes to find, and up to 1245pm, 15 minutes before class, I was still typing and printing the paper (printer conveniently ran out of ink too, btw, at 1250pm).
And of course, last night was International Relations Night! Haha, finally the event that we in the IRC have been preparing for. Yess, it was for this reason too that I was cooking leche flan (very sweet milk and caramel custard) for 150 people 24 hours of Sunday (next time I'll tell the Block to buy a steamer to make my life easier). But the IRN went great! Thanks models Ivy and Robs! And wooohoooo, in the free International Supper afterwards, many people looooovvvvvvvved my leche flan! Yippeee, I was told it was the "best among all the dishes" (the other dishes were mostly spicy and exotic-tasting), "tasted great", "yummy", and some even went back for more servings, and Siaw Ling, a Malaysian friend even wanted the recipe! Ahhh.. that part about hard work paying off rings true once again. Next time I'll work on the presentation! Haha.
And oh yeah, last Monday I confirmed my attendance to the Olomouc choir competion. While my efforts to beg fellow basses Kurien and Charles and Derence to go didn't work, I signed up. It's gonna be fun, I'm sure, and I'm still trying not to appear too excited about the whole thing especially since this is gonna be my first time. Catch is that I'm gonna have to shell out S$1500! The choir is making a great sacrifice too, as they're digging into the funds pool from the previous batches to sponsor about 500 bucks for each one of the 30 or so going. They're sponsoring the choir festival fees and all, while the 1500 we'll pay is just airfare from Singapore to Czech Republic and back. God please let me earn money during the holidays! And, as new President Keng Khoon has emphasized, because they've invested a LOT in this, we have to bring home the gold. Pressure! And my voice "guide" Lyndley isn't going! And incredibly musical Charles! And Bass SL Quee Ming! Presssssure.
Okay, I think this entry's too long already, and I've spent more than 30 minutes of precious time typing!
Smile and be happy everyone. I'm gonna mug like hell this week. God help me in Molecular Genetics. Off to the library I go to have a date with Miss Jean Brodie (that's Maggie Smith a.k.a. Minerva Macgonagall getting an Oscar in 1969 too).
Music of the Moment: Michael Buble & Nelly Furtado's Quando, Quando, Quando
Currently feeling muggerish.
Back in the day
Back in the day
Back when zits were unheard of, when schoolwork was only for "grown-ups", when all that mattered was playing and eating and sleeping.
I miss Davao. And Mama and Daddy and Kai and my two Lolas.
Oh, and that's the same car in which I was born that fateful night. ;)
And yeaaaaaaah, the leche flan tasted grrrreat! And that's according to my taste testers Korinna (who brought a whole saucer to her room too), Ivy, Robs. And it's approved too by Indonesian, Indian, Singaporean, Chinese, Malaysian tastebuds! Haha, the IRC members enjoyed the dessert sample I brought during the meeting.
Too bad I can't eat too much, as I've just caught a cold and got a bad case of sore throat, causing me to cough and sneeze in all my lectures and tutorials (blame the aircon and the weather). And the headache, grrr. I doubt if I still can sing for KR Choir during NUS Open House tomorrow.
But all's well so far. I'm gonna bulldoze my way through this mountain of schoolwork and hallwork, and it'll all be super in the end. Cheers.
Back when zits were unheard of, when schoolwork was only for "grown-ups", when all that mattered was playing and eating and sleeping.
I miss Davao. And Mama and Daddy and Kai and my two Lolas.
Oh, and that's the same car in which I was born that fateful night. ;)
And yeaaaaaaah, the leche flan tasted grrrreat! And that's according to my taste testers Korinna (who brought a whole saucer to her room too), Ivy, Robs. And it's approved too by Indonesian, Indian, Singaporean, Chinese, Malaysian tastebuds! Haha, the IRC members enjoyed the dessert sample I brought during the meeting.
Too bad I can't eat too much, as I've just caught a cold and got a bad case of sore throat, causing me to cough and sneeze in all my lectures and tutorials (blame the aircon and the weather). And the headache, grrr. I doubt if I still can sing for KR Choir during NUS Open House tomorrow.
But all's well so far. I'm gonna bulldoze my way through this mountain of schoolwork and hallwork, and it'll all be super in the end. Cheers.
The time to be busy is now
The time to be busy is now
Wow. My blog breaks are now beginning to amaze me. Self-control, people.
Come to think of it, I've sacrificed a number of my pleasures lately, all in the name of intensive schoolwork and hallwork and choirwork.
I'm still drowning in the ocean of tasks I have to do, and slowly it's taking its toll on my morale, self-esteem, my social life, TV/music/entertainment life (I skipped the Oscars, the Amazing Race, Survivor, several OC episodes, American Idol, never checked the Billboard/radio music charts lately even), and my sanity.
And yet, I'm still struggling to keep myself together, and propel my academics up.
Sigh. One can never know what university life is until he's gone to NUS.
I tell myself this is what I signed up for when I took this scholarship (without a bond too, unlike most everyone else), and that all this will pay off sometime in the indefinite future. So we all just hang on and keep moving.
* * *
On a brighter note, I think I can roughly say I'm staying in KR. CCA points are out, and surprise surprise, you've done very good to get 47 total points Jose! (It should in fact be 51, but OSA gets the top 8 activities) Thanks to the NUS Choir which earned me big points, KR Choir (big points -1, also big since they promoted me to SL), the Ridge, Cheering Comm, and other hall performances/activities that gave me points. No thanks to the International Relations Comm (IRC), from which I get only 2 points for the terrible headache it caused. And btw, there are some magic comms too! Haaa. Now I get it.
* * *
How does one describe leche flan? It's this very sweet Filipino dessert (presumably from the Spanish) that's made of eggs and milk and caramel. It's some soft thing, but not like a cake. Custard? Dunno.
Anyway, with the leadership of Karen the self-confessed non-cook and the assistance of Arthur, I set forth to cook the dish over the weekend. Too bad Karen's kitchen had a power trip, so I had to move the stuff to KR (on foot) so it could be finished. And I finished last night. Bloody exhausting. Steaming took forever, and I went back and forth to the third floor kitchen from my first floor room around 23906 times.
Not sure if the taste is gonna ba good, as this is the first time I attempted to do the dish. Next up if it's passable: cook for 120-150 residents for Internation Relations Night next week. Haizzz. The things I do for that two-point IRC I was telling you about.
But at least the leche flan LOOKS good. Will taste test later.
Wow. My blog breaks are now beginning to amaze me. Self-control, people.
Come to think of it, I've sacrificed a number of my pleasures lately, all in the name of intensive schoolwork and hallwork and choirwork.
I'm still drowning in the ocean of tasks I have to do, and slowly it's taking its toll on my morale, self-esteem, my social life, TV/music/entertainment life (I skipped the Oscars, the Amazing Race, Survivor, several OC episodes, American Idol, never checked the Billboard/radio music charts lately even), and my sanity.
And yet, I'm still struggling to keep myself together, and propel my academics up.
Sigh. One can never know what university life is until he's gone to NUS.
I tell myself this is what I signed up for when I took this scholarship (without a bond too, unlike most everyone else), and that all this will pay off sometime in the indefinite future. So we all just hang on and keep moving.
* * *
On a brighter note, I think I can roughly say I'm staying in KR. CCA points are out, and surprise surprise, you've done very good to get 47 total points Jose! (It should in fact be 51, but OSA gets the top 8 activities) Thanks to the NUS Choir which earned me big points, KR Choir (big points -1, also big since they promoted me to SL), the Ridge, Cheering Comm, and other hall performances/activities that gave me points. No thanks to the International Relations Comm (IRC), from which I get only 2 points for the terrible headache it caused. And btw, there are some magic comms too! Haaa. Now I get it.
* * *
How does one describe leche flan? It's this very sweet Filipino dessert (presumably from the Spanish) that's made of eggs and milk and caramel. It's some soft thing, but not like a cake. Custard? Dunno.
Anyway, with the leadership of Karen the self-confessed non-cook and the assistance of Arthur, I set forth to cook the dish over the weekend. Too bad Karen's kitchen had a power trip, so I had to move the stuff to KR (on foot) so it could be finished. And I finished last night. Bloody exhausting. Steaming took forever, and I went back and forth to the third floor kitchen from my first floor room around 23906 times.
Not sure if the taste is gonna ba good, as this is the first time I attempted to do the dish. Next up if it's passable: cook for 120-150 residents for Internation Relations Night next week. Haizzz. The things I do for that two-point IRC I was telling you about.
But at least the leche flan LOOKS good. Will taste test later.
Some things
Some Things
Whew. That was quite a while since my last post. I can't believe I found it quite empowering NOT to blog. It was freedom, in a weird sort of way, and it showed that I can show a decent degree of self-control and a sense of responsibility. But now that the killer Probability test is over, three choir performances successfully done, I can give myself a breather, however short, so I can blog for a while. Not as frequent, I must emphasize, since I still am as loaded with work as ever.
Something Cute
I love my avatar in the NUS Choir forum! It's also my MSN display pic, although it's not animated there. I actually ripped it from the blog of newly-elected Ridge Chief Ed Nurul (yey congrats again!).
Hee. That's actually Calvin (of Calvin & Hobbes) gagging. Quite cool eh? Found it hilarious. The first few images of the animation can be seen to show Calvin singing or something (partly the reason I used it in the choir forum), but ends up with him throwing up and passing out. Haha.
Something Stressful
What else but Thursday's Probability midterm test! Which, btw, was the day after AMPLITUDE, the combined concert of NUS hall choirs and a cappella groups + NUS Choir at LT13, which was just 4 days right after our Varsity Voices Concert!
Stressful times I tell you, and more so when one isn't in quite a happy mood due to factors other than the activities themselves.
But I managed to get through all those in one piece -- tired, yes, but most content and fulfilled.
I wanted to donate blood for the Red Cross (like the way I did last year right when I had my 18th birthday), but I had to pass since I knew I needed energy for the intensive work the week required. Maybe I'll go with Karen when she donates to the Red Cross (through Sheares Hall) this week.
Not surprisingly, Zit Season has begun, and it shows no signs of waning in the near future.
Something Stupid
Held last Friday was the second lecture on Shakespeare's MACBETH, as part of the curriculum of my Literature module. Being the studious-wannabe, I borrowed a library book beforehand, and although constrained by the deep old English, I struggled to get past the first acts of the play. The week earlier, Dr Yeo had suggested that we had the option to watch the DVD recording of the play in the library, if our reading progress was impeded by the old language.
So right after the Probability exam, as much as I felt exhausted and tired, I made my way to the Central Library to borrow the DVD, get another copy of the script of the play, and went on for two+ hours, following the text as I was watching the movie. It was time for dinner, so I stopped at the end of Act 3 (there were 5 Acts) and headed back to KR.
The next day, I went to class confident, having read a good chunk of the book and having watched the play of Hamlet. When, suddenly, during 30 minutes into the class, a realization washed over me, I read and watched the wrong play!
Next time someone please remind me that HAMLET and MACBETH are totally different plays, and that long as I wait, the names Ophelia and Polonius and Horatio and Claudius will never pop up in the Macbeth discussion. Haizzzzz. Stupid stupid.
For a few moments I felt like a dumbass, really, wasting hours of precious time, but soon after I just laughed at myself, and joked about it with some of my acquaintances in my class (and we aren't even too buddy buddy), and some of my seniors. Hah, at least I'm glad I've learned the art of forgiving and laughing at oneself.
So for my tutorial an hour after the lecture, I ran to the library to get MACBETH, rushed to the hall to google and print a summary and breakdown of events in the play, and came prepared for the tutorial class without anyone noticing I made a serious blunder earlier. Teehee.
Something Unusual
Warning: Skip this section if you want a happy post.
Okay, so I'm sandwiching this more serious stuff here to stifle its gravity, and so many people won't be able to reach this part due to the length of the post (hah). Here is something very unusual. An apology.
I hate to bring up the Varsity Voices issue again, and would have liked to settle it with Wayne in person, and not through blogging, but since I was caught offguard by his post and I am 95% sure that Wayne would not bring it up in person, let me blog it in.
I sold 13 tickets for the VV concert, the supportive souls consisting of 11 Pinoys and 2 Malaysians. Thanks to Robs, Clint, Wayne, Arthur, Gelo, Ferron, Korinna, Jayson, Elsie (whose ticket I subsidized by 3 bucks I admit), Steph and Alds. My gratitude too, to Claire and Siokkah for coming. :D
About this "flimsiest reason in the world" issue, I told it to ROBS. This was when he told me earlier during the year that one of the reasons he was moving to another Church was because the Catholic mass requires a lot of memory work. I've apologized to Robs already a long time ago, and thankfully he didn't seem to take offense and I sincerely respect his decision to move.
About Michael, now I understand. Really.
I never said "flimsiest reason in the world" to him. Sigh. I commended his honesty when he said it was not his interest, this choir thing, and that I verbally told him, because I appreciate people being honest and direct-to-the-point so I don't waste my time and efforts. But later, what I found flimsy was Michael's reason for his constant reconsideration of his decision, as it seemed to be based on who else were going, and not because he didn't like choir concerts. But Micahel and I are okay, so that issue need not be magnified.
I need not expound too much on how unfunny the supposed joke of "forced-persuaded" was. And how "tactics" was strongly offensive, and how the blog entry dampened my spirits.
To Wayne: three things.
1) I am very glad you made some realizations, and, knowing you don't usually do this, I am pleasantly surprised that you came up with an apology.
2) Communicating in person is always better than online-sparring, and apologies are always better said.
3) Have a happy birthday.
ANYWAY, let's get back to happy normal stuff. I seriously hope many people didn't read this previous last bit. That's partly the reason I quit from NUS Chika.
Something Bigger
I have recently been appointed Records Secretary for NUS Choir. That means I'm in the EXCO now! It was a tough decision accepting it, but since I'm getting into the team spirit anyway, and since I enjoy their company and singing songs with them, I decided I might as well do something more, even if it means performing the tough task of maintaining and distributing the scores.
I am also lovin' the KR Choir more! Yey, great job for Amplitude guys! As much as the tenors can be quite difficult to manage at times, and as much as I think I'm not the perfect SL, I think we've all been singing better and feeling better about one another! And Choir spirit is getting stronger! Yey.
The Hall Master wants something bigger for International Relations Night on the 15th of March. The IRC (Int'l Relations Comm) are now pressed for more presentations and culinary delights and games and costume display of more countries. Stressssful I tell you, especially for a minor comm that is theoretically only supposed to be awarded two CCA points.
But as I like to say (okay so John Mayer says it too), I'm still bigger than my body. And of course, God is infinitely bigger than any of our biggest woes.
Whew. That was quite a while since my last post. I can't believe I found it quite empowering NOT to blog. It was freedom, in a weird sort of way, and it showed that I can show a decent degree of self-control and a sense of responsibility. But now that the killer Probability test is over, three choir performances successfully done, I can give myself a breather, however short, so I can blog for a while. Not as frequent, I must emphasize, since I still am as loaded with work as ever.
Something Cute
I love my avatar in the NUS Choir forum! It's also my MSN display pic, although it's not animated there. I actually ripped it from the blog of newly-elected Ridge Chief Ed Nurul (yey congrats again!).
Hee. That's actually Calvin (of Calvin & Hobbes) gagging. Quite cool eh? Found it hilarious. The first few images of the animation can be seen to show Calvin singing or something (partly the reason I used it in the choir forum), but ends up with him throwing up and passing out. Haha.
Something Stressful
What else but Thursday's Probability midterm test! Which, btw, was the day after AMPLITUDE, the combined concert of NUS hall choirs and a cappella groups + NUS Choir at LT13, which was just 4 days right after our Varsity Voices Concert!
Stressful times I tell you, and more so when one isn't in quite a happy mood due to factors other than the activities themselves.
But I managed to get through all those in one piece -- tired, yes, but most content and fulfilled.
I wanted to donate blood for the Red Cross (like the way I did last year right when I had my 18th birthday), but I had to pass since I knew I needed energy for the intensive work the week required. Maybe I'll go with Karen when she donates to the Red Cross (through Sheares Hall) this week.
Not surprisingly, Zit Season has begun, and it shows no signs of waning in the near future.
Something Stupid
Held last Friday was the second lecture on Shakespeare's MACBETH, as part of the curriculum of my Literature module. Being the studious-wannabe, I borrowed a library book beforehand, and although constrained by the deep old English, I struggled to get past the first acts of the play. The week earlier, Dr Yeo had suggested that we had the option to watch the DVD recording of the play in the library, if our reading progress was impeded by the old language.
So right after the Probability exam, as much as I felt exhausted and tired, I made my way to the Central Library to borrow the DVD, get another copy of the script of the play, and went on for two+ hours, following the text as I was watching the movie. It was time for dinner, so I stopped at the end of Act 3 (there were 5 Acts) and headed back to KR.
The next day, I went to class confident, having read a good chunk of the book and having watched the play of Hamlet. When, suddenly, during 30 minutes into the class, a realization washed over me, I read and watched the wrong play!
Next time someone please remind me that HAMLET and MACBETH are totally different plays, and that long as I wait, the names Ophelia and Polonius and Horatio and Claudius will never pop up in the Macbeth discussion. Haizzzzz. Stupid stupid.
For a few moments I felt like a dumbass, really, wasting hours of precious time, but soon after I just laughed at myself, and joked about it with some of my acquaintances in my class (and we aren't even too buddy buddy), and some of my seniors. Hah, at least I'm glad I've learned the art of forgiving and laughing at oneself.
So for my tutorial an hour after the lecture, I ran to the library to get MACBETH, rushed to the hall to google and print a summary and breakdown of events in the play, and came prepared for the tutorial class without anyone noticing I made a serious blunder earlier. Teehee.
Something Unusual
Warning: Skip this section if you want a happy post.
Okay, so I'm sandwiching this more serious stuff here to stifle its gravity, and so many people won't be able to reach this part due to the length of the post (hah). Here is something very unusual. An apology.
I hate to bring up the Varsity Voices issue again, and would have liked to settle it with Wayne in person, and not through blogging, but since I was caught offguard by his post and I am 95% sure that Wayne would not bring it up in person, let me blog it in.
I sold 13 tickets for the VV concert, the supportive souls consisting of 11 Pinoys and 2 Malaysians. Thanks to Robs, Clint, Wayne, Arthur, Gelo, Ferron, Korinna, Jayson, Elsie (whose ticket I subsidized by 3 bucks I admit), Steph and Alds. My gratitude too, to Claire and Siokkah for coming. :D
About this "flimsiest reason in the world" issue, I told it to ROBS. This was when he told me earlier during the year that one of the reasons he was moving to another Church was because the Catholic mass requires a lot of memory work. I've apologized to Robs already a long time ago, and thankfully he didn't seem to take offense and I sincerely respect his decision to move.
About Michael, now I understand. Really.
I never said "flimsiest reason in the world" to him. Sigh. I commended his honesty when he said it was not his interest, this choir thing, and that I verbally told him, because I appreciate people being honest and direct-to-the-point so I don't waste my time and efforts. But later, what I found flimsy was Michael's reason for his constant reconsideration of his decision, as it seemed to be based on who else were going, and not because he didn't like choir concerts. But Micahel and I are okay, so that issue need not be magnified.
I need not expound too much on how unfunny the supposed joke of "forced-persuaded" was. And how "tactics" was strongly offensive, and how the blog entry dampened my spirits.
To Wayne: three things.
1) I am very glad you made some realizations, and, knowing you don't usually do this, I am pleasantly surprised that you came up with an apology.
2) Communicating in person is always better than online-sparring, and apologies are always better said.
3) Have a happy birthday.
ANYWAY, let's get back to happy normal stuff. I seriously hope many people didn't read this previous last bit. That's partly the reason I quit from NUS Chika.
Something Bigger
I have recently been appointed Records Secretary for NUS Choir. That means I'm in the EXCO now! It was a tough decision accepting it, but since I'm getting into the team spirit anyway, and since I enjoy their company and singing songs with them, I decided I might as well do something more, even if it means performing the tough task of maintaining and distributing the scores.
I am also lovin' the KR Choir more! Yey, great job for Amplitude guys! As much as the tenors can be quite difficult to manage at times, and as much as I think I'm not the perfect SL, I think we've all been singing better and feeling better about one another! And Choir spirit is getting stronger! Yey.
The Hall Master wants something bigger for International Relations Night on the 15th of March. The IRC (Int'l Relations Comm) are now pressed for more presentations and culinary delights and games and costume display of more countries. Stressssful I tell you, especially for a minor comm that is theoretically only supposed to be awarded two CCA points.
But as I like to say (okay so John Mayer says it too), I'm still bigger than my body. And of course, God is infinitely bigger than any of our biggest woes.
