a fortnight

I admit I have felt a little intimidated by all the sighings of my fellow Austinians concerning SAT2 and applications. And I felt really uncomfortable when you talked to me about how much you DIDN'T do and how much time you've been 'wasting'. Why? Because then, frightening images of my very empty CommonApp form and very virgin SAT2 books start flashing right in front of my eyes. *

And thus I had to constantly remind myself to take my break. To take the fortnight of rest and relaxation I had promised myself. To let my CPU cool down, so to say.

I'm glad to say I did :)

This fortnight I regained the suiying that I somehow lost during the Finals and SAT2 week. It's amazing, now that I look back, how stressed I was inside. The rather stupid way I planned to beat the reading exam, the internal mental flogging I put myself through before and after PreCal, the hasty way I memorised Theology without even appreciating the culture and the amount of thought that goes with it, the way I wrote the essay to please a lecturer and not myself. That was not who I am. And I am appalled at how I let something as transient as an exam distort me so much in such a short time.

Thank you, Time, for giving me these two weeks.

for letting me recover who was lost

for reminding me of what is really important

for showing me that someone still cares

for helping me mend fences

for blooming a blossoming friendship

for great books and great music

for the way I see the world

*And no, I'm not blaming any of you. It is a perfectly understandable need for you to let off steam after all the pressure you put yourself through, which rather defeats the point of complaining that you didn't do much in the first place. But hey, you're reading about someone who considers 'worrying' part of 'work' and 'effort' so really, it's not your fault. This paragraph is specially dedicated to KayJay and Ronnie(who never reads blogs anyway) so this is for you, KayJay. It's not your fault so don't start apologising.

a lightbulb of an idea

Know what I would absolutively love to do when I get back to school?

Go to the computer labs.

And change the languages to Yiddish.

Or Krygyz.

Depends on my mood.

If I'm feeling particularly benevolent, I might settle for Google's Pirate.

Arrr ye matey! I Be Feelin' Lucky!

lunch

Allow me to set the scenario. My roommate Amy is staying at the INTEC hostel (Akasia) because plane tickets simply cost too much for two trips. In fact, all my housemates didn't go back to Sarawak because they are sitting for SAT2 on Dec6.

So.

I got a text from Amy at noon today:

[published with her permission, of course]

This morning i woke up, 

brush my teeth, realise 

the kitchen smells horrible...

Can't find the source, so i 

assumed it's from outside. 

Then, in the middle of 

washing my hands, i had a 

fleeting suspicion. 

Walked over to cooking pot.

Look inside, made a stupid 

decision to smell.

...

Now i know how two days 

old egg/vege/godknowswhatelse 

smells like.

>__<

LOL. The desperation and the horror. Love it.

Anybody wants to have lunch with Amy?

Maggots included :)

hello there, hottie

Is it just me, 

or did you also fall in love with him at first sight?

His name's Polar FT80.

again

See, it was my very first driving lesson. 

And it was all in Hokkien. And you know how great my Hokkien is! Oh, and a healthy mix of Mandarin too. And you definitely know how great my Mandarin is!

BUT, since I am such a great driver *ahem* I managed to do everything right even though my instructor(hereafter known as Geezer)'s instructions were pretty hazy *insert image of intrepid explorer*

I initially had trouble with the 1st gear cuz I didn't understand that you are NOT supposed to lift the clutch all the way up. But I got the message eventually :D

Things got pretty dull after that. I mean, how interesting can cruising along a road ten times over get? And Geezer kept going "Kah ban.. kah ban.."(Slower.. slower..). I was doing less than forty! On an empty stretch! Can't you see that tortoise zooming past?! Felt like pretending the accelerator was the brake, but I think I better get my licence first, yes?

Anyway, here is the most interesting part of the entire thing.

See, Geezer was reminding me to let go of the clutch slooowly for the first gear:

Ban ban gia khi lai, boy.

So I slowly....(!) 

What? 

What did you just call me?

(!!!)

Boy?

After you took my IC and freaking wrote my very feminine name on a paper?

Boy?

In bright sunlight and sitting barely 50cm from me?

BOY?

Confirm.

My driving instructor is blind :P