This week has been a torment. And I'm glad it's ended, no doubt with a bang.


I thought we had the artsy fartsy DNA to pull it off but, no thanks to the fact that I overestimated the limits of the human body, our plans backfired. Badly. But it's over, and the fact that the presentation is 10% puts my mind more at ease. I just need to push harder for the final examination, I guess.



Thursday was a bad day. So bad, I needed a coffee fix early in the morning. And I knew Starbucks wouldn't fail me. Except the fact that the counter staff's attitude changed from warm when she was serving this American couple before me to neutral and smile-less when she served me. WTF. Is this how Starbucks trains their staff? To give preferential treatment to foreigners and treat Singaporean students who look like they don't have a single prick in their wallet like pariah?

My little cup of happiness.

My little girl (my Agnes b). Isn't she lovely?

Then Friday had to arrive and take whatever enthusiasm I had for the weekend away. 5 hours before 3219 assignment's deadline,details were clarified, and I had to make a mad scramble to re-construct my assignment argument. And if this wasn't maddening enough, my damn Nano had to screw up during Hong Bai, Jack felt unwell, and ... let's just say we have a low tolerance level for lacklustre music.






And when everything seems fucked up, you made it all right again.

I miss you.

Happy 20th month

I'm suffering from chronic headache, majorly because my sister is singing. And she's still singing.








I have ALL idea why I just can't do PR for nuts; I don't know how to say pleasing things, or appease people. In fact, I think I'm an expert at doing just the opposite. But then again, having a press release and company memo to clear by 1700hrs this Friday doesn't allow anymore procrastinations, even from the lousiest PR personnel. So I'll just have to sit down, pore over my haphazardly written press release, and pray that I'll be lucky twice. And coursemate KianWei put everything into words so aptly: We don't need to be given a fake crisis to know what is a crisis. Everyday is a crisis already.

But nothing beats cuddling up next to you, feeling your immensely comforting warmth, and spending our 20th month together. I know how it sucks having to sacrifice so much for school work, but it's a cruel factor of school life we've got to endure until we graduate. It's just heartwarming to know how much I'm being protected and sheltered by someone I'll love all my life. :)


Happy 20th month.

love, life, each speaks for the other one

Teddy Geiger reminded me of how much I need those hugs and kisses at this very moment; weekends are torturous these days, simply because there's too much to do and too little time to spend with each other. I'm constantly toying with the idea of staying out with you into the wee hours in the morning and risking my mum calling the police and locking me out, simply because I need so much of you, it's almost insatiable. And the feeling has never once faltered, in these 20 months. And all I ask of you, in this lifetime of ours, is to never let this feeling stop.






And I just got bombed by 3219. 3-parter assignment, due next Friday. Oh, next Friday's NUS Geyao's HongBai Competition!

This competition was re-ignited just last academic year, as a platform for the juniors to engage in a friendly competition, pitting against each other with full-band performances and original compositions. Things changed a little this time round, with not just the Reds and the Whites, but also the Pink Team, which comprises of seniors. Thinking back, I'm thankful we had declined to perform, because I wouldn't be able to handle the rehearsals and school work at the same time. But those who're interested should pop down to Science Faculty LT 27, on 30 October 2009 at 7pm and take a good listen at the results of weeks of rehearsals and coordination of our juniors.

Gah. End of Week 10

Gah. I no longer have the luxury of writing lengthy entries, no thanks to my mad schedule. This week has been much better, after clearing MKT and SSD last week. As I officially wrapped up SSD coursework today, tomorrow (or rather, hours later) will be kickstarting a mad rush for the 2201 project, which is due on Monday. Then it'll be full on to 3219, then to revision.



I've come to terms that it's no use feeling hopeful when it comes to the weekends, because it's just another 2 days to buffer the mad school days. And Jack and I are resigned to 'dating' in school, which comprises of nothing more than meals and mugging together. Long gone are the days where we could plan days prior to our dates, and hang out together late into the night; tuition, project meetings, assignments, presentations... Draining.

How do you explain...?

My students always ask me, "Teacher Julie, how come liddat?", and many a times do I find myself stumbling, without a reason, and trying to find even an inch of an explanation to pacify them. Well I could contribute it to incompetence on my part at times, it's really difficult to put a finger and an absolute value to everything we come across in life. It's more than just throgging through an infinite pool of resources called the World Wide Web; it's about getting the answer right, and struggling to cope with whatever amount of dissonance there is. It's even more difficult, at times, than explaining why it's "I am" and not "I is".

"There is no remedy for love but to love more."

- Henry David Thoreau, 1839

And when it comes down to answering questions like, "How do you know you're in love?" or "How do you know he's the one?", I'm even more in a loss for answer, than ever. I guess we've both acknowledged the fact that love isn't simply about saying that you're in love with someone beautiful, rich and famous, because that's lust, not love. As baffling as it is, the answer's simply in oneself. It's only a matter of either finding it, or getting lost in it.

Food Glorious Food

Bliss is currently blooming in my head. :)

If God made food, this has got to be one of His mighty creations. Since Jack and I had the RARE chance to skive a little today after our subject pool, we decided to conquer Ion@Orchard for the second time round. And we found Gindako.

Just a brief introducation, since there seems to be a thousand and one Japanese food stalls at the Ion, Gindako originated from Japan, selling Takoyaki as its main product. And judging from the Japanese site, it seems like they hadn't changed a bit in terms of their serving proportion and presentation, which is a pretty daring strategy in a foreign market.

Each little takoyaki of is packed to the max with a huge chunk of octopus, tempura flakes, red pickled ginger and green onion, cooked fresh before your eyes, and served in a boat-shaped wooden dish and topped with teriyaki sauce, mayo, bonito flakes and seaweed flakes. Mmmm...... Jack and I had 10 to ourselves for dinner, and it's surprising how it filled my stomach, despite giving Jack all the tako chunks. CHUNKS! It's not those miserable pieces of chopped up octopus pulp you see in other takoyaki stalls, but huge chunks with the suckers of the octopus still visible! And to have 10 takoyaki balls and 2 drinks of your choice for S$9.90, it's worth every single bite. Thinking of it still makes those gastric nerves tingle with happiness. :)

Attack of the zzz monster

Humans can be such conflicting creatures; it's like how I'm supposed to be glad that more and more work is being accomplished, and less and less I'll be left to do. But instead there's this indisplacable void which remains empty after the storm has blown over. Or am I just getting too accustomed to being permanently busy? And I had remained relatively unhappy, up til now, about the little things. Or am I getting incoherent?

And then you start to list things that you had wanted to do after you've cleared one obstacle, and realised that you don't feel like doing those things anymore, or that they no longer brought you any gratifications.

Or want to spend loads of time with the one you love and realise that there's nothing to do except attempt to go broke again.

Then try to kick-start the next pending item on the agenda, only to fall back into the seat and close the window.




And then weird guys have to start to pop up around me, which is pissing the crap out of Jack. First was Mr. T, who was a major sore in the butts of everyone in our marketing tutorial. He would leap at your arguments should you miss out any minute ideas, and ask you absolutely pointless questions like "Do you know what's the current market share of Company X in the States?" Like, hello, couldn't he just have Googled it? Or is he still learning to adapt to scratching in sand? So just the other day, we've hatched a sinister plan to shell him and his group during his presentation. Our tutor should be happy about our forthcoming behaviour.
Then there was guy No.2, Mr. S, who is 100% the friend and 0% boyfriend material. I think he probably stabbed Jack in the eye before, judging from the degree of dislike that Jack had for him. Plus, we're equally unimpressed over his cavemen communication habits, be it with the opposite or same gender. Insensitive, blunt, ... It's time the men did something to curb the surfacing of such people of their gender.

Urgh.

I'm insomnaic. Which probably means I'm going sprout a few more zits within the next few days.



Oh, and say hello to the new family member. Apparently my Fujitsu and PSP are extremely jealous of this skimpy beauty.

I used to be anti-Apple, simply because I couldn't find a way to navigate the Macbook without looking like a country bumpkin; the touchpad was an insolent piece of crap to operate, it made my fingers feel like toes. AND I didn't like the iPod's wheel technology as well, simply because I was a buttons person, not so much of a touch-touch person. Oh well, let's just say the boyfriend is a strong propagator os marketing messages in my life. Haha. :)

I got the purple one, and he got the orange one (since there wasn't any white).

Let's just say that I'm still struggling with the tilting function, so that I can play games on my Nano. Plus iTunes is a chore to operate. It's like... French.

As usual, lengthy makan and pak-tor sessions seem to been so distant from where we are currently, with each of us juggling 3 projects on hand, tuition, assignments, project meetings... Please, people. If you happen to see us together in school, it's probably after strenous planning and taking time off, so there's nothing to admire. You'll probably want to wish you've had it better. Those long chats and cuddles at Vivocity, those lengthy walking sessions we used to have every weekend, hanging out at each other's homes doing nothing, thronging Orchard Road to watch flashy cars... This semester's mad.

Caught in the middle

Oh well. Sibling-squabbles are truly irritating. Especially when they turn into catfights. I don't really care how cute and cuddly some other people find their siblings, because they'll never be caught in the middle of two teenagers and get dragged in as well.


Oh well.


Things I had sacrificed time with Jack for: Tuition, webcasts, presentation notes, readings, tutorial. I see why he hates school sometimes.


Just a rant. I don't see myself as an expert in relationship maintenance since I can be a horrid partner at times, but I don't get it when intelligent people could be reduced to tabula rasa when it comes to relationships. Yes, I might be (again) imposing standards on these people but, hello, don't they ever get it?

Relationship morons:

1. Guys who like girls and, er, continue liking them until either A. the girl finds a boyfriend and get all upset and start to to wallow in self pity and die or B. become irritating greeneyed-monsters and act all valient about protecting the girl secretly until A happens.

2. Girls who visit temples and pray for a boyfriend who would do nothing but eat, sleep, shit,breathe and accompany them.

3. Girls and guys who allow their partners to treat them like 24/7 maids/manservants, mobile food kiosks, pharmacies, money-printing machines, chauffeurs, etc. etc.

4. Guys and girls who do No. 3. to their partners.

5. Girls and guys who would call their ex-es after quarrelling with their partners.


You would probably be asking yourself why people did the above stuff, when these are foolproof methods to ruin their relationships. Search me. Oh well, but then again, without these people around us, life would be ol' so boring, right? Besides, Relationships for Dummies wouldn't sell as well.

sleep debt

I slept past 10am this morning; I didn't realise what the phrase "the luxury of time" really meant until I didn't get proper sleep for the past 3 weeks. Make it 4. Even before the Recess Week, I've already got my hands full of projects and essays. The week-long holiday alleviate little of the sleep loss, and life became worse after that, when I had to sleep at 3am and wake up at 7 to go to school. *Grumbles* Of course, we had to sacrifice whatever time we had for dating and whatnot, and camp in school until late. *Sigh* But it's good enough to know that, while we're both clinging on to dear life, there's you by my side, even if it means enduring my nonsensical mood swings and quarrelsome nature.

Mum spent the whole Friday night narrating her 10-day trip in China. Of course, Mum and Dad got me purple tops, so I'm a happy girl. :)

*sigh* Loads of catching up to do, amidst battling the sleep-inducing weather.

Combustion point

It's always times like this that I'm totally burnt out; sometimes I yearn to trash everything, and just go sleep the day away, and at other times the adrenaline rush of pushing your body to its limit and then crumbling seems too enticing to miss out on. My skin's turning real cranky, my nails turn purple under 20 degrees Celsius, but I'm pressing on.

Whatever doesn't kill me, makes me stronger.

Whatever kills me, does.

And my 3219 group turned the tables on the teaching team this time round; I'm not trying to be cocky here, but if you found out that you had to be moderated down for your issue tracking, it's my group's fault. :) Plus I managed to neutralise my C+ (yes, hell, I got a C+ for my first asignment) with my pitch letter. I can finally understand why PR practitioners go on working in their shitty jobs; it's the satisfaction you get out of watching your competitors crumble to dust. I know it's an annoying obsession, but I kind of like it.

My legs hurt. 4 bruises and counting.

I got the lady from Popular bookstore to ransack their storeroom for BSB's latest album This is Us. :) Yes, I'm turning sado-masochistic. Anyway, electronic music wasn't quite my cup of coffee (yes, coffee for me), and they had to do just that. But they were unfairly pardoned by moi, majorly because they sounded just like they were back in 1996! Well, except for Nick, who wouldn't quit smoking. Still the B-Rok, Bone, Howie D and Frack I know from 1996. And they will always be the Kings of Pop Groups.

Unease

There was a foreboding sense of unease when I handed in my 3224 paper today; like something about my paper wasn't going to please the tutor very much. But, oh well, I did my best, so I'm leaving it all up to fate. This serves as a reminder for me to avoid all jobs which require me to do such writeups. The 2,500-word limit wasn't too easy to keep to.


Then it was off to Sakae and movie!

No, I wasn't impressed. Definitely, some credit can be accorded for the refreshing presentation style of the entire movie (there was a reason why it was called Shorts). The rest of the stuff? It was more of a cheesy B-rated storyline which lies in the same league as those Scary Movies and parody films, so watch it with a pinch of salt if you're planning to waste your money on this. I was telling the hubby that if this were to be judged alongside Lord of the Rings, it would have gotten a 1 out of 5.

The Ugly Truth

Sometimes the truth sucks.

I seriously loved this movie. Yes, it's sardine-packed with loads of crude sexual humour, profanities, various names of human anatomy and a weird woman who does this silly dance when she's over the moon. But, as cliched as it sounds, almost everything inside about men and women and their outlook when it comes to relationships is nothing but the ugly truth. Perhaps some local director should do a local adaptation of The Ugly Truth, because alot of the 'facts' are typically stereotypical of men and women universally. But then again, why would any producer do that, when the field research alone is probably going to kill them? We have to face it that the men and women here are, unfortunately, engineered in a much more complex way than psychology, philosophy, communication theories and science can explain.

If the truth hurts, lie.