amazing adventures of asraf angullia

back again... for now...

2008-11-20T06:58:00.000-08:00

Thursday, 20th November 2008 – 10:36pm Singapore time

Three weird incidents today:

1. The train I took on the way to town bypassed the Aljunied station for reasons unexplained. The train operator subsequently apologised for the incident without explaining why it happened. I bet the ‘Aljuniedians’ weren’t too pleased about it.

2. A young boy, probably 14, approached me and asked if I could ‘help him buy cigarettes’. I told him ‘No’ and would have lapsed into a long lecture on the dangers of underaged smoking if I wasn’t in a rush. Kids these days…

3. A friend I was chatting to on MSN talked about how he “brang” some of his friends to a nice restaurant recently. Yikes! I’m torn… Should I make him aware of his mistake?

Anyway, I’m kinda back to blogging now and then, since I have a bit more time than usual…

The semester went by quite quickly although it was not without its painful moments… It was especially painful to mark exam scripts and subsequently having to type out individual subject comments for all 140 of my students… *shudder*

Speaking of students, I would like to say many thanks to 105 ’08 for the lovely card they gave me and also to one of the members of the class who gave me a personal offering… I’m touched by your thoughtful gesture and of course, the fact that you have put your summary-writing skills to good use… =)

I’ll be teaching the Year 3’s next year… Totally not sure what to expect, but it’ll be the first time that I’ll be planning out lessons, so it’ll be quite cool… And not too hard I hope…

Alrighty, that’s all for now… Pic was taken at the Jurong Birdpark where we had our Staff Seminar recently… I like how both Yan’an and Yong Yeong (that’s Ms Hou and Mr Tan for you kids) look so disinterested in the shot… Maybe I do bore people more than I’d like to think… ;p

a 'scandalous' shout-out...

2008-06-22T22:28:00.000-07:00

to all the ‘scandalous’ girls involved in writing me the ‘scandalous’ note which was left in a very ‘scandalous’ place for me to pick up:

THANKS!

oh well, the ‘scandalous’ girls are:

- Cheryl Freshie
- Christine “Lee” (I gave you Sang Kook’s surname! ;p)
- Karina
- Claud
- Phey Ying

and especially to the ‘scandalous’ ring leader, the one who snuck into the place where she wasn’t supposed to be so the message could reach me…

YOU know who you are… haha…

a new chapter begins...

2008-06-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, 18th June 2008 – 9:21am Singapore time

I had my first unofficial day at work on Monday where all us new teachers were briefed on the standard stuff like the school history, values, mission, expectations and so on… It was actually a little bit overwhelming as there was a lot to learn in such a short time… Also, I feel that I’m the most disadvantaged amongst all the new teachers as I am neither an ‘old girl’ of the school nor do I have experience in teaching… And now I wonder if I should keep blogging cos I know it’s a matter of time before my students find this blog and start digging at the bits of my personal life… How?!! ;p Well, actually I do have some teaching experience… I got it when I taught at Ngee Ann Polytechnic for awhile, so I guess I’m not that messed afterall…

I’ve been assigned two Sec 2 classes and two Sec 4 ones… And I also have my own cubicle now! Yay! But I need to do a bit of work on it though… It’s pretty apparent that this particular cubicle hasn’t been used for some time and so I’d have to do a bit of cleaning… And also lots of personalising… I remember the last time I had a cubicle was in the army… And I spent quite a bit of time making sure my desk and cubicle walls were all done up nicely… I like feeling comfy at work… Hehe…

Tomorrow shall be the first day of the term for us… Wish me luck!

And to all the NIE people: have fun together! I’m actually quite envious that y’all get to do it with each other… Make sure you keep your notes for me hor? I might come in to join you guys next sem… =)

time-trial: the aftermath...

2008-06-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, 11th June 2008 – 1:03pm Singapore time

So I did my time trial yesterday and I really sucked… Like big time… At my worst, I did 14 seconds slower than my timing last year… 14 seconds is how long it takes to gulp down like 5 glasses of water or something…

I don’t really blame anyone for my dismal performance… In fact, I was so prepared to do badly, I wasn’t really upset at all… I was very unmotivated and had a defeatist attitude, even before I did my first stroke…

I guess it’s been a tough season for me so far… I still haven’t gotten a steady stroke… I appreciate all the input my team-mates have been giving me, but somehow I can’t reconcile all of their advice into executing the right stroke for myself…

I will just take this whole fiasco as it is and face up to whatever the consequences are for me in the upcoming DB Festival Race…

Meanwhile, I will focus on getting my stroke right and just enjoy the sport as much as I can…

I miss the old days when I was naïve about the politics behind dragonboat… It was so nice then… I didn’t really have to grapple with so many things…

PS: I am *not* upset, so please do not leave any consolatory comments unless you wish to invoke my anger… =)

just keep chillin'...

2008-06-09T06:45:00.000-07:00

Monday, 9th June 2008 – 9:25pm Singapore time

I am exactly one week away from my first day of work… It’s a mish-mash of feelings: a bit excited, kinda nervous and also hoping that the days of carefree laziness will never end! =( I think this will be the last time ever that I will truly be able to have a break… Sigh… Isn’t it strange how when you’re young and have all the time and energy in the world, you usually don’t have the money to do anything? And when you’re old and tired, with enough money, you sometimes don’t have the energy to do it? That’s why rich kids suck… Cos they get the best of both worlds… Boo rich kids! ;p

Anyway, I was chatting with a friend one day… This friend is not local and was talking to me about how in many Asian cultures, the fairness of one’s skin is associated with beauty… It’s pretty sad, but true… I guess as humans, we always want something which we can’t get… Like when I was in Oslo, the more tanned or ‘brown’ you were, the better you ‘look’… This is probably because most of them are pale and blond and blue-eyed…

Oh well…

It’s my time-trials for dragonboat tomorrow!! Argh! I hate time trials… They’re painful and inconsistent and so dependable on the most insignificant factors… Like luck for example… Bleargh… Aiyah, just do la…

Alrighty, time to chill again… Till the next update…

yay-ness part 2...

2008-05-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 31st May 2008 – 11:48 am Singapore time

I am still beaming from yesterday; am soooooo happy that I got my 2nd upper! It’s been really stressful this semester since the very beginning to the very end; I had trouble getting 2 of my modules when the semester opened, I missed out on quite a few lectures, the workload was terrible, I had a shitty mid-semester deadline schedule, and my exam schedule was the worst ever in all my 4 years in NUS…

It was also the semester where I really worked my ass off… I was studying like I never studied before, practically making the honours room my second home… Although my results were not stellar, I am happy with them and am definitely happy with my final CAP of 4 flat (no more, no less)… Haha! That’s been my life since 2 semesters ago: living life on the edge… I’m glad I managed to stay on though cos if I had a grade lower for any of my modules, I would have dropped in the 2nd lower range and suffer a paycut! =(

Anyway, I wanna congratulate all the fellow E-Langers for their results! I’m sure everyone did well and all ready to graduate!

Also a big congratulations to Jamal and Bon-bon, my very first friends in NUS… Even though we’ve gone our separate ways academically, we’re still pretty tight! Must take pictures during graduation hor?

And also a special shout-out to Christine Chen Huiqing for giving me advice just before my Gender paper and always believing in me and my abilities… Hugs!

Thanks to Cheryl Freshie also for recommending that I do Business Law... I got an A for it! Woo hoo! And of course, thanks for studying with me, even though I know you'd rather be sleeping... ;p

And last but not least, a big thanks to my family for always being supportive, accommodating and understanding… I owe my success to you…

Ok, it’s beginning to sound like an Oscar speech… Bleargh!

Today is going to be Ubin day!! Or at least I hope so… It looks like it will rain, but it also look that it might be fine… We’ll see how it goes…

yay-ness...

2008-05-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

I got my 2nd upper!!! =)

keeping it down low...

2008-05-27T01:19:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, 27th May 2008 – 3:59pm Singapore time

It’s been awhile since I last updated, so here’s a summary of what’s been going on:

- I worked at a corporate access forum at the Mandarin Oriental hotel for 4 days last week

- It was awesome! Was totally pampered and well paid… And well-fed too… *burp* ;p

- My dearest sister turned 27! No money, so couldn’t get her a present… Ooops… :(

- Had a dragonboat competition on Sunday which went ok, but it was also pretty disappointing… And somehow I felt uncomfortable throughout the whole thing, so much so that my strokes were very haphazard… Definitely not a good day for me…

So we come now to this week… I’ve been running errands today; got my contract with RGS sorted out, paid my bills (boo) and also getting ready for dragonboat today… My team trains 4 times a week now, so I hope to be able to do as much as I can…

I am a bit annoyed that I can’t do any running cos I hurt my foot (stepping on a *hot* piece of charcoal) during the team barbecue last week… Speaking of running, Clement, Melvin and myself decided not to participate in the triathlon relay this year as the fees are just too high! $94 is too much to just run 10km if you ask me… Oh well, maybe they’ll decide to be cheaper next year…

I’m enjoying my last few weeks of freedom before work starts… Cyril is coming to Singapore for one week and I’ll be hosting him… Next weekend will be a little visit to Malacca for me… I hope it’ll be fun… :)

Results will be out on Friday!! Aaargh!

Besides that, I don’t think I’ll have much going on… So yeah, this blog might be a little inactive for now… Till the next update!

fighting the flab...

2008-05-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

My landlords bought me lunch (on their own accord) today, but they only got home after 2pm, and by then, I had already eaten… I felt bad and tempted to just eat a second lunch anyway, but decided not to… I’m trying to stick to better eating habits to avoid getting a belly which is flabbier than the one I have now… That means regular meals and no meals after 7pm… It’s been pretty tough sticking to this, but I think it’s working pretty fine…

I think I’ve also recovered from my chest injury, so it’s time to work it once more!

OUT with the FLAB, OUT!!

PS: that’s *not* my tummy, by the way… I am hairy, but not THAT hairy…

all tugged out...

2008-05-11T20:51:00.000-07:00

Monday, 12th May 2008 – 1:32pm Singapore time

Quick update: Grandfather has stabilised, but no other news besides that…

Anyway, I had quite a good time on Saturday at Dragontug! Well, I was totally exhausted and sleep-deprived (and a little depressed), but I did my best and the team won two championship titles baby!! =)

The first title we won was in the Men’s Lightweight Category which I found a bit stressful… It was stressful cos we all had to be weighed before we were allowed onto the boat and the maximum weight for each boat was 750kg… Even though I was the lightest in the boat, I registered a weight gain of 1 fricking kilo after lunch and that made me so tempted to just retch it out again! So pressurising lor… But we did fine weight-wise nevertheless… So after some 4 pretty ok tugs, we won the title! Sweet! My first dragonboat hardware for the year…

The second title we won was the Men’s Open Category (aka the heavyweights) and even though I wasn’t paddling in this won, I was the drummer… Now, the drummer is pretty important as he/she has the task of reaching backwards and grabbing the victory flag in order to declare a win for his/her team…

So I was really psyched up about this duty which I took on during the Grand Finals of the Men’s Open (Craig was the previous drummer) and even practised bending backwards a few times before the start… Well, the men had a good start and had a good lead and I was stretching myself like crazy when the boat was nearing the flag… And when I felt that we near enough, I did a big one and got it! Victory of course! But in the process of doing that, I pulled a pectorial muscle and it hurt like hell… It still hurts, but it was worth it cos it got me my second medal for the day!

Yeah, it was all good… I had dinner with Wann after the event, then went out with some other friends for drinks after that…

Today was a bit busy, but also a chance for me to relax after undergoing so much stress… To Cheryl and Pants, enjoy your trips!

and so it ends...

2008-05-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 10th May 2008 – 7:42am Singapore time

My life as an undergrad is unofficially over… 16 years of school *and* exams have come to an end and all I have to do is await the results… This semester’s results will be the most nerve-wrecking for me as I *must* do very well for all my classes or else I will get a pay cut… *cringe* So I’ve done all I can, and I guess I’ll have to wait and see what happens…

The whole semester had been pretty tough on me… I had to take 2 Business modules which meant that I had a lot more work to do… This was because the subject content was less familiar to me… In addition to that, they were both introductory modules… Such modules are usually designed in such a way that there’s a lot of width but with no depth at all… Means you have to study a lot of different concepts and memorise them too…

It was also tough as work at the café became a little bit more demanding… I had more customers coming in and a lot of planning and liaising to do… There was a lot going on and I even mixed up some dates… Thank goodness Liangcai was around to save me… Thanks Bro!

Oh, and finally, the exams this sem were the *worst* ever!! I had a paper on the first and last day with 3 of them scattered in between… Lots of things to study and just generally lots of pressure to do well due to my borderline CAP… sigh… So, I’ve been deprived of many hours of sleep and leisure… And the stress was just amazing…

The semester also had its good moments… I had a blast recording the ELang Musical with all my friends… Really loved the way it turned out… =) I think this was also the sem where I managed to deliver a good presentation in all the required classes… So, I am very pleased with that too… This sem also allowed me to get closer to some of my fellow Honourables… These people are namely Matt-hiu, Dee, Pants and Pix… I’ve been hanging out with these guys more often; sharing stuff, jokes (dirty and otherwise ;p) and having lots of lunch and dinner sessions too! We have to keep hanging out even after graduation, ok?

There’s also Cheryl Freshie of course… She’s the girl who forced me to take the Gender module, and therefore prolonging my exam suffering… Hehe… Cheryl and I are in 2 modules together and this a great thing cos I was really able to learn more through my discussions with her and our study sessions too (although yesterday’s study session was more of a chit-chat one)… Plus, as she was doing Bahasa Indonesia this semester, she had to keep bugging me to edit her silly and childish composition assignments which reminded me of my work in Primary 1… Haha! Kidding la, you actually did really well for all of them… Cheryl’s also a fellow Survivor fan!! As is Pants! So we all share our Survivor insights too! =)

The reality of the end of my undergrad days haven’t really set in… I guess it’s because I’m still exhausted… There were some bad times, but I think the good times just made them seem ok… And I know for sure I will miss school, but am also looking forward to begin a new chapter in my life…

Speaking of new chapters in life, my grandfather is ill and in hospital… The doctors have put it to us that he doesn’t have much time left… I visited him last night and saw that he was in a very painful struggle to hold on to his life… I just hope that he will pass in the most peaceful and painless way possible…

the missing study partner and other stories...

2008-05-07T23:23:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 8th May 2008 – 2:14pm Singapore time

It’s the day before the final paper, and I am studying in school, as always… Cheryl Freshie is nowhere in sight… I suspect that she is still bed…

Anyway, I bumped into the cleaning lady who’s super nice and friendly… She asked if I had my lunch, and then she asked me,

“Are you Malay or not?”

I proceeded to tell her that I am a mix….

And Auntie goes,

“Chinese-Malay mix is it?”

And I told her that it was Indian-Chinese….

She then asked if I was Muslim and that if I knew any of the Indian languages… I told her that my grandparents spoke Hindi, but I have no knowledge of the language at all… She was on the verge of spouting a Hindi phrase I think, before she stopped herself and asked me,

“You don’t even know a little bit of Hindi?”

I told her,

“Sorry, I don’t.”

I smiled and proceeded to the canteen to get my lunch… I still like the cleaning lady very much, but I wish Prof Lionel Wee was there to explain to her the relationship between one’s language and one’s identity… ;p

like a candle in the dark...

2008-05-06T06:18:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, 6th May 2008 – 9:02pm Singapore time

I am still in school!!

Well, I should be, as I am revising for my second last paper tomorrow… All this mugging into the late evening reminds me of my days as a freshie… In those days, I had to get up really early in order to get the prime study spots in the central library… Today, I can take my time to get to school cos I know there’ll always be space for me in the honours room… I am expectedly alone here, since most of the other honourables are done with their exams... I can only join them on the other side on Friday… Which is annoying to some extent, but it was also my choice…

What’s more annoying is looking at the pictures of my team-mates who were at a dragonboat event at Boracay over the weekend!! Practically everyone was there!! And they were all having so much fun!! Grrr… Oh well, this is the last time I’m stuck with exams… As an undergrad at least… I really, really, really hope I will able to join them next year… Or else, I’d just dig a hole and bury myself… Hahah…

Oh well, at least there’s the Dragontug to look forward to this weekend… It’s one of favourite dragonboat events and I do hope it will be heaps of fun as it was last year!

And since we’re on the topic of dragonboat, I’ve been having some paddling problems recently… The thing is, I lost my twist… I have no idea why, but I lost it… I somehow am unable to twist my body (something really important in paddling), while I execute my strokes and it is really frustrating! Coach Nasi has been patiently correcting me all these weeks and somehow, his instructions just can’t through to me! He even asked if I know how to dance!! Waaaah! I think it might be bad karma coming back to haunt me… Sigh… Well, whatever it is, I hope I fix it *real* soon cos the important competitions are coming up…

Anyway, I was very pleased with myself cos today, I managed to clear the *whole* textbook of Management!! Almost 16 chapters of shit, baby! Woo hoo! I had embarked on the journey thinking that I could never get it done… But I guess business-based subjects are not as reading-intensive as the arts ones… So I cleared it! This is the paper that I worry about the most for this semester, and I do hope it will be ok! *fingers crossed*

After tomorrow, I will just have one paper left… My flame may be flickering a little, but it still burns on strongly… =)

i am...

2008-05-03T07:37:00.000-07:00

@#$%-ing sick and tired of people who waste my time…

if that’s your thing, stay the hell away from me…

two down, three to go...

2008-05-01T08:09:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 1st May 2008 – 9:22pm Singapore time

Happy Labour Day y’all! Actually, I was so caught up with my exams that I didn’t even realise it was a holiday until late last night when a friend told me…

I’m done with two exams and have three more to go; all of them next week…

I am super, super, super stressed out right now cos:

1) I am losing steam

2) I *really* need to do well for ALL my papers to maintain my CAP

3) I haven’t been feeling well

4) Am not exercising enough and eating too much junk

5) I look like shit

Ok, so the last point ain’t so important, but hey, I think that it really sucks that you have to look bad when you’re stressed out… Like, it’s already bad enough that you’re under stress… Does it have to get worse with looking like you got run over by a truck a gazillion times?

Never mind…

For now, I shall study as hard as I can for my three papers… I really have to do this cos my salary actually depends on my grades and it will be such a pain if I get a pay cut for not studying enough…

I actually planned to go for dragonboat today but was tired and fell asleep instead… Turned out to be a good thing cos practice was cancelled due to poor turnout… Apparently only five people came and if I had made it, I’d have only been the sixth one and even that wouldn’t be enough… You need a minimum of seven to get a training session going… So lucky me I guess…

Right, time to get back to the books… To my lucky friends who are done with their exams, I’ll join you guys on the other side soon… =)

PS: Razlan, my previous post wasn't in reference to you! ;p

total randomness...

2008-04-22T22:35:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, 23rd April 2008 – 1:20pm Singapore time

I hate studying for exams! Exams suck and exams are no good!

If you know someone who’s been harbouring illusions and living the life that he’s actually not living, do you tell him, burst his bubble and let him fall hard on the ground?

Or do you just feign ignorance and let him stay in that fantasyland of his?

I chose the latter… Heehee… Let’s hope he doesn’t find out that I know!

Gotta go back to the books now…

I ate too much for lunch… So bloated…

And yes, Happy Birthday G… You’re old… ;p

the last day...

2008-04-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

today was the last day of school, the last day of 16 years of attending class, getting pushed around by teachers, enjoying the privileges accorded to students, etc...

this semester has been my worst so far and it didn't end on a really bright note... i kinda messed up my presentation yesterday... such a damper... i'm supposed to be good at these things... but now i know, it's not just *how* you say it, but *what* you say too... let's hope i am shown some mercy... sigh...

and i splashed water on my phone just now!! argh! it's totally not working now... thank goodness i save all my numbers on my sim card, so it won't be that much of a hassle... i just need a temporary phone for now, so until that happens, i will be uncontactable...

on a brighter note, i had a very nice time hanging out with some of the e lang peepz... great movie, and a very nice dinner... a very good way to perk you up... i love the e lang people... they rock! ;p

the last piece...

2008-04-15T05:51:00.000-07:00

I have just finished writing a term paper... and not just any term paper, but the last one that I will ever have to write in my life as undergrad!

woo hoo!!

a little bit of comfort...

2008-04-13T08:04:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 13th April 2008 – 10:32pm Singapore time

So, I survived hell week in one piece, but with so many hours of sleep loss… But things actually went better than I thought they would… I am thankful that I was given the clarity of mind and the focus to actually plan out my work and complete all the tasks I had in a very systemic and organised way… I drew out a little timetable for myself and somehow managed to stick to it and made things work… So I am quite proud of myself for doing quite well…

Also, I had the good fortune of having very good groupmates for my projects… They were all really cooperative and made my life so much easier while trying to survive the worst week of my life in NUS ever… So, thanks, you guys! (dee, mandy, pix from narrative… donne, janice, shalina, zhi jun from management…)

Friday was presentation day… I had to do a presentation for my Narrative class and another one for the Management class… And since you usually had to dress up for business presentations, I was in my khaki pants and my shirt… It was a good combination to wear but hell, those pants were so tight I couldn’t breathe! Well, it was my fault for entertaining the notion that I could still squeeze into those pants after having them for like 7 years… It got pretty bad cos I was panting (internally) during both my presentations cos it was hard to get enough air in when the waistband of your pants kept pushing the air out… You know what I mean…

But thankfully, no one noticed I was panting… ;p I guess all those years of debate workshops and debate camps paid off…

For the first presentation (the narrative one), my role was more ‘himbotic’, meaning I was just there to present the examples and make silly jokes about them… Haha… But Prof Talib commented that both Pix and I did a job with the delivery… Yay! But maybe the praise was more for Pix, the orator extrordinaire… The second one forced me to be more serious and academic… My part was also longer and so there was more internal panting going on… But no one noticed and my classmates were especially impressed by how calm I sounded and looked… If only they knew how breathless I was… :D

I guess it’s time to lose some fats around the waist, or maybe a new pair of pants?

This week will be better I hope… Just two individual presentations and one tiny essay to do… So it’ll be cool…

This week also marks the last 5 days of school life ever!! It’s crazy eh? I’ve been in school for almost 16 years now and it’s finally time to get out and go into the real world… Kinda freaky too!

Anyway, I’m experimenting with a new look right now and have decided to grow out my facial hair… I look… different I guess… We’ll see how long I can pull this off…

the things i have due next week...

2008-04-04T00:14:00.000-07:00

-one 3000-word individual essay
-two individual presentations
-one group report (3000 words)
-one group report (1500 words)
-two group presentations
-one 24-hour essay test

can someone just kill me now and spare me the pain?

woo hoo!

2008-04-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

i got the job!!

*booty shake*

it's like spilling tea down your pants...

2008-04-02T01:35:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, 2nd April 2008 – 4:04pm Singapore time

So the job interview I went for yesterday was pretty ok… The Super Big Boss was somehow less intimidating and scary than I expected her to be… Then again, maybe I was expecting too much… It was more of an ‘informing’ rather than ‘interviewing’ session, meaning that Super Big Boss and her vice were telling me things rather than asking me questions… Although she did ask me one super hard question as well… But I was more prepared for hard questions this time, so I guess I handled them better… I also laughed and made little jokes here and there… Not sure if that’s a good thing, but if Super Big Boss laughs along, it shouldn’t be a problem, right? ;p Fingers crossed and let’s hope they come back with a positive response…

So something very weird happened to me this morning… I was somehow in school very early this morning, so much so that I had enough time to grab a quick bite at the canteen before my 9am class was scheduled to begin… So I bought a cup of tea and some sausage-rolls… While at the table, the cleaning lady came by to wipe my table and while wiping it, she knocked over my tea and it spilled right onto my shorts!! Of course it was a rude shock (and an unwarranted wake-up call), but I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it and just moved my stuff away in case they get hit by the tea…

Now the strange thing is, the cleaning lady left the scene of the crime and left me to my own devices… Two strange things about this: a) she’s supposed to clean the mess she made (by the virtue of the fact that she *is* on cleaning duty b) she’s already holding the cleaning cloth, so why the delay?

But as I was recollecting myself and trying to ignore how hot the tea was, the stall-owner of the vegetarian stall started shouting to the cleaning lady, and asked her to clean up the mess… Cleaning lady ignores him, but he persists… Disgruntled, cleaning lady storms back to the scene of the spill and throws the rag at the table, almost hitting me… She wipes off mess and curses at the veggie man… It’s all in Mandarin, so I couldn’t really understand what they were saying, but if the prosodic features were anything to go by, the things they said to each other weren’t very nice… So veggie man tells another stallholder about what happens and she goes to the drinks stall and tells the drinks man about what happened…

Due to the commotion, people started looking my way, and worse of all, start looking at the big patch of wetness down my shorts… It looked like I burst my waterbag or something, but let’s not go there…

So to cut the long story short, drinks man gets me a free replacement, and assures me that he’ll report the incident to the canteen authorities (whoever they may be)… I left the canteen and headed to class as quickly as I could to avoid being seen in public with wet shorts… Thank goodness for the air-conditioned classroom which dried out the patch of wetness rather quickly… And thank goodness too that it was tea and not coffee…

So yeah, that’s the weird story involving me today… I guess the moral here is never bother to come too early for class… It allows space for unnecessary drama… ;p

bye bye BoBo...

2008-03-31T08:43:00.000-07:00

Monday, 31st March 2008 -11:20pm Singapore time

So I managed to survive last week, deadlines, project meetings and whatever else la… Anyways, while writing my term paper last week, I got some books from Pixie who had gotten them from Dee… Dee was more than happy (I hope) to lend me the books she had borrowed from the library and I was more than happy to do the returning for her… The due date for the books was today and of course, silly me forgot to bring to school as I was almost late for class (as usual) and putting them in my bag slipped my mind…

And since I didn’t want Dee to get fined, I decided that I should go for a run and return the books at the same time… This was of course very good as: a) it’s been too long since I last went for a run and b) my usual running route brings me to campus ground anyway.

So I got my running gear on and started running! It was kinda weird carrying two books (in a paper bag) while I was running, but I got used to it… It wasn’t so bad and I arrived at the library halfway through the run anyway, so I got rid of them promptly…

So, missions accomplished! =)

After I was done with my run, I went to do my sit-ups as usual and then I noticed that my running shoes were totally busted… BoBo, my old pair of running shoes, died today…

Don’t ask me why I call my shoes BoBo; I just do… Haha… Anyways, this entry is a tribute to BoBo and all the years of service he has rendered to me… I got BoBo in late 2002 when I was still an instructor in the army… Since then, BoBo has been through thick and thin with me…

BoBo made sure I got Gold for my physical proficiency test, he also stuck with me when I went for my long runs to the other end of the island, did three half-marathons with me, and most importantly BoBo saw me through my first ever full marathon… In fact, he was with me for my second one too… So you see, BoBo has ran hundreds of kilometres with me…

Needless to say, BoBo has sustained a lot of injuries through all the years he’s been with me… I’ve used like two whole tubes of superglue to put him back together again when pieces of him fell out after I did my runs… And today, the whole of the right sole just detached itself from the main shoe… So yeah, I guess that meant that BoBo just can’t go on anymore… And I don’t blame him for totally falling apart…

So BoBo, thanks for being with through thick and thin, rain and shine, all the leg cramps and broken toenails… I love you and will always cherish all the protection you’ve rendered to my feet… :)

PS: My first interview with *the institution* was a success and I will have a second interview with them tomorrow, this time with the head herself… Yikes!

and it all begins again...

2008-03-23T05:15:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 23rd March 2008 – 7:59pm Singapore time

STRESS!!

I must say that this semester is like the worst semester *ever*! The workload is getting to me, like really getting to me, especially from the business modules that I’m doing… And I thought I’d be having an easier time with those since they’re level one modules… But alas, I am soooooo wrong! Plus, I have to start thinking about my English term papers too! And to add on to that, café-related work is piling up too! ARGH!

Oh, and it doesn’t help that I have to look for a job at the same time… My job interview on Wednesday was a nightmare! It was pouring like mad, my tie was choking me, and the interviewers were really tough… I don’t think I want to mention names or any other details since I don’t know who reads this blog, but it was *tough*… I was asked some pretty academic questions and I don’t even know if I tackled them well… Sigh… I will find out this week if I have been shortlisted for a second interview, and this time with someone of an even higher authority! Yikes! How to survive like that?

It’s such a mish-mash of funny feelings now… I’m glad that my undergrad days are almost over cos it’s so stressful being in school! Yet, I know I will miss being in school and all the perks that come with being a student… But nah, I am not going to pursue a Master’s degree cos I don’t think I am good enough for such lofty pursuits… ;p

And I really, really, really hate my phone now! Really hate it… It’s just so bloody @#$%-ing slow… Like when I want to reply to an SMS, it takes 2000 years for the reply screen to appear… Like, wtf? Well, maybe it’s my fault for dropping it a few times… Hee…

Oh well, yet another weekend is over! And it’s time to face another week of even more stress and deadlines… God save me! ;p

asraf goes shopping for shoes with shoko...

2008-03-18T07:23:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, 18th March 2008 – 9:56pm Singapore time

I hate application forms!! Especially when they’re like *six* bleeding pages long… Sian…

And I also hate that it’s been overly humid lately… It’s like living underwater la, I get soaked everytime I’m outdoors… Double sian…

Anyways, I bought myself new running shoes!! Hurrah! Check out the shoes in the second picture of this entry… Aren’t they just waaaaaaay cool?!

I was in town today on the way to the adidas boutique at the Hereen when I bumped into Shoko! She just got off from work and since she had some free time, she decided to accompany me on my shoe shopping trip! Hurrah! I always get excited when I buy a new pair of running shoes cos: 1) I love running 2) I love adidas

So it was just happiness… Plus, I kinda knew what I wanted to buy and was just excited that I could try out them shoes and have Shoko to provide me with her opinions… So, we got to the store, I tried out the shoes, I loved them, Shoko loved them, I bought them, and left the store with a huge grin on my face…

We then somehow drifted into the Energie store across the mall and Shoko saw this super nice bag which was on sale! 50% off y’all! So she decided to buy it and I have to say, it was a really good deal… Yay Shoko! =)

The NUS Beach Fiesta takes place on Saturday and I was hoping to revive my Captain’s Ball team The Blue Jets, but I think the plan might not materialise due to the decision being too last minute and the fact that two of the most important members of the team, Hajar and Guo An are not available in the earlier part of the day… Maybe next year? Sigh…

Oh well, there’s always dragonboat training…

PS: I lurrrrve my new shoes! ;p

crap!

2008-03-17T02:27:00.000-07:00

I have a job interview on Wednesday and my dress pants are at my parents' place... *THREE* hours of travel just for some fancy-looking black cloth... AAAAARGH!!!

i think...

2008-03-16T07:15:00.000-07:00

I am lactose-intolerant... YIKES!

No wonder I drank diluted condensed milk when I was a baby..

guilty as charged...

2008-03-16T07:12:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 16th March 2008 – 10:00pm Singapore time

Although life can be harsh to me sometimes, I always have a strong network of support from a few very special people waiting behind me… And I am very grateful that I have this network of support cos God knows I’d be locked up in some high-security loony bin by now if not for this people…

But as much as I appreciate these people, I also sometimes take them for granted and behave like a complete asshole to them… I’m sorry if you’ve been one of them… I am human and I do slip up sometimes…

goodbye, david hernandez...

2008-03-13T08:14:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 13th March 2008 – 11:10pm Singapore time

Argh! My favourite American Idol contestant has been eliminated from the show! =( I’m really bummed out cos I was rooting for him to be in the top 5 at least… I am very disappointed with the results… I think David has the best vocals amongst all the contestants in the top 12… He has a very good range in his voice and excellent control of it… And lots of power too… Oh why, cruel world? Haha… Oh well, I’ll just have to make do with this then:

My fave performance: http://youtube.com/watch?v=dSnWr2S8f4g

happy birthday gerry! plus weekend update...

2008-03-10T08:36:00.000-07:00

Monday, 10th March 2008 – 11:15pm Singapore time

First and foremost, Happy Birthday to Gerald Patterson aka the Warm-up boy! Didn’t realise that our birthdays are so close together… *wink* LOL! Hope you had a good one… =)

My weekend was a whole mish-mash of different emotions… I was touched that so many people made it a point to remember my birthday and send me their greetings and well wishes… Some even bothered to call me… I really appreciate these little gestures… So, I wanna thank all those who sent me little messages greetings, be them on SMS, on facebook, personally or via a call... Thanks and big H-U-G!!

And yes, it was my birthday on Saturday, for those who are totally clueless… *grin* The team did the best that it could for the MR500… I’ve always hated the waiting during race days… Especially for MR500 cos they also have the kayaking events slotted in… Hence, we have to wait for really damn bloody effing long just for one race… For example, my team-mate Louis had to report at 9:15am for the first day of the competition and his first race was scheduled to begin at only 4:20pm!! Like, wtf?!

Also, the boredom also resulted in the production of really bo-hua* pictures… In this entry are some of the things bored dragonboaters do when they have to wait for hours and hours just for a race to start…

I’m lucky to have special and caring people in my life… Today, a few of the super busy honourables made some time to serenade me with a birthday cake and two candles… Yesterday, Beverly made me a birthday cake made from cupcakes; it was a tray full of them, and each cupcake had a letter on it, so the whole thing spelt “Happy Birthday Asraf”… So sweet ya?

And also yesterday, a little candle named G which refused to be blown dead somehow cheered me up so much that it washed away all the gloom that I had in me… The flame which never dies; symbolic in so many ways... Hehe...

But of course, the most special moment was when I was having dinner with the family at home on Saturday… No cake, no card, but more love than I could ever ask for… :)

*loosely translated: pointless

a little breather...

2008-03-07T01:52:00.000-08:00

Friday, 7th March 2008 – 5:06pm Singapore time

So, another week goes by and I am starting to feel more pressure coming from school, specifically from the looming deadlines which threaten to snatch my sanity from me… Riiight! Haha… I’m still quite cool about my deadlines, even though this week was pretty hell-ish for me… I had a total of 3 presentations to prepare for, one of which was really important… I think I did pretty well for all 3… Presenting has always been something that I enjoy doing, and I think something which I’m pretty good at… Sometimes I just wish that your presentation skills account for a bigger portion of your grade… Rather than written forms of assessment… Hehe…

This weekend is race weekend… More specifically, it’s the first major race of the year, the MR500… For once, I am not too excited about a dragonboat event… The MR500 has more significance than just being the first race of the year; it is also a marker of my ‘anniversary’ with the Canadian Dragons… I joined the team right after MR500 in 2006, which means that this weekend marks my 2nd anniversary with these guys… Perhaps I am taking longer to get in the mood… Clement feels the same way too, and he’s been around about 2-3 months longer than I have… Oh well, there’s always something else to look forward to… Like dragontug… Which is one of my favourite dragonboat events ever… *grin*

I guess this is all I have to say for now… It’s the end of a busy week and the beginning of a busy weekend… Don’t fret if you see me zombified on Monday! ;p

what's news?

2008-02-27T23:29:00.000-08:00

Thursday, 28th February 2008 – 2:55pm Singapore time

I try to watch the news on Channel 5 every evening at 9:30pm and if you also watch the news, you’d know that they have subtitles in order to make the programme ‘friendlier’ to those who have hearing difficulties…

I applaud this gesture of course, as it is something which is nice and inclusive… However, I do take issue with them sometimes paraphrasing or correcting the speech of the interviewees or the people being featured in the programme… I think that it is not in the spirit of good journalism if you misquote or amend the words of someone, even if it’s in the name of good grammar… I am all for good grammar of course, but I think that there should be some measure of authenticity here as well…

Ok, so here’s why I’m writing this entry… Yesterday’s news was extra funny cos the person who did the subtitles tried to ‘act smart’ and tried to make everything grammatical, but ended up committing not one, but *two* faux pas(es?)…

The first one was during a clip of a British man who was describing his experience of the earthquake which had hit London recently… He spoke of his dog who had jumped onto his bed in the middle of the night and he casually mentioned that his dog is a ‘shih tzu’… But of course, the smart subtitler didn’t get it and called the man’s dog a ‘shiatsu’ instead… So the British man had a ‘shiatsu’ jumping on his bed last night… I wonder how that works… ;p

The second one was the mangling of Singapore’s Senior Minister’s speech no less… Goh Chok Tong was commenting about the people’s reactions to the recent budget announcement and I wasn’t sure what he was talking about (who is anyway) but he said “assess the situation” and smart subtitler decided to put it as “access the situation”…

So yeah, in short, I just wanna say that the subtitler should be more careful next time and maybe not overdo it too much… Haha… I am starting to get lame, so I will end this entry now…

PS: The picture of Anderson Cooper is used just to be in tune with the “news” theme I have for this blog entry… The contents of the entry has nothing to do with him…

PPS: Matthew Black just told me that he’s voyeuristic but not an exhibitionist… Such a dangerous (and creepy) combination! Haha… Kidding, Matt! But make sure you know what 'desired transgressions' mean before you graduate, ok? =)

apple of my eye...

2008-02-26T06:08:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, 26th February 2008 - 10:12pm Singapore time

Why is it so damn bloody hard just to get plain apple juice at the supermarket these days? I spent like 5 whole minutes staring at the shelves of hybrid fruit juices like cranberry-promengenate la, apple-aloe vera la, grape-veggie juice la... And so on! Like wtf? Life is already so frittered with details... Simplify! Ugh...

Anyway, I spent the whole damn day in school today and I am absolutely exhausted! Think it'll be a very early night for me... Still have to go to school tomorrow for more project work and presentation preparation! *cringe*

hooray!

2008-02-21T05:16:00.000-08:00

Singapore has won the bid to host the inaugural Youth Olympic Games! =)

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/330241/1/.html

die!

2008-02-20T08:09:00.001-08:00

I am attending a career fair on Friday and I have the HUGEST, MOST DISGUSTING, HUMUNGOUS and GROSS pimple on my forehead *ever*!! And it's smack in the middle of my eyebrows, as if I have a bindi gone wrong...

HOW?!!!

on death and other things...

2008-02-13T20:10:00.000-08:00

Thursday, 14th February 2008 – 11:44am Singapore time

I was speaking to my Khai who’s a physiotherapist specialised in geriatric issues… He told me that the market is opening up right now, due to the ageing population of course…

And then I told him that I hope to die by the time I turn 50… He was a little taken aback and asked me why…

Well, I basically think that it’s not much of a point to live beyond 50 as you start getting wrinkled and ugly, you develop health problems and your memory gets whacked… Socially, people get annoyed at you easily; think you’re not so useful anymore and that you’re just taking up unnecessary space… Before I proceed, I would like to post a disclaimer and say that these opinions are personal and they’re what I think people would think of ME or what would happen to ME if *I* live beyond 50… Not applicable or referring to anyone else, dead or alive… Can? ;p

Right, so my Khai was saying that health problems could be tackled with a good lifestyle… I agree of course but how many of us can actually do this and be rewarded with good health?

I think that ‘naturally’ we’re all not made to live that long… I mean in the past, people didn’t live as long as the people who do now… That’s because they couldn’t heal themselves when they were afflicted with serious, chronic diseases…. Nowadays, we have managed to exploit medical technology so much that we are able to prolong our lives ‘unnaturally’… It’s amazing that we keep battling these diseases so hard just to keep ourselves alive when we could have been ‘genetically predisposed’ to die earlier… Some people I’m sure, have the genes to allow them to live really long, like 95 or something, but for the rest of us, I think that we’re just made to succumb to some disease at a specified age and die…

We shouldn’t try so hard to fight what’s inevitable… Sure, there are so many things in this world to be achieved, and could be done… But what’s the point? Can we *honestly* do everything and really, really die without regrets? The people who usually die without regrets are those who die young and already know they’re dying… And what’s the point of travelling the world when you have to pack an entire cabinet of pills and life-resuscitating equipment?

Based on all this, I do not wish to live for too long and will be happy to live till I am 50… Even if I were to die today, I’ll be happy… :) I would like to reiterate at this point that all these opinions are *personal*; I do not expect you to accept my views or agree with me… Everyone’s entitled to their own thoughts and these just happen to be mine…

Right, so on that note, Happy Valentine’s y’all!

beng-ah-boys...

2008-02-11T03:53:00.000-08:00

Monday, 11th February 2008 – 7:44pm Singapore time

UGH! It’s Monday! And it’s not just any other Monday, it’s the Monday after a superbly yummy long weekend! *groan*

I’m thankful that I only have one class today, and it’s not a boring one at that… The long weekend was a nice break for me… I had a good time on CNY, meeting with cousins, uncles and aunties from the maternal family… Being half-Chinese has its perks, especially when it comes to those little red things they call the hong bao… hehe…

I also managed to catch up with some schoolwork and also miscellaneous café and NTUC-related work… And lots of dragonboating too! Coach Nasi introduced a new stroke to the team and this new technique is nothing short of pure pain!! It’s gonna take me quite awhile to get used to it and even though Coach says I am doing it right (after a million times correcting me), I think it’ll be a few more weeks at least before I can really feel comfortable with it…

Was at the café earlier today to help with the VDay decorations, and played the "ah beng CD" which my manager Clarence had put in our player… Some of these ah beng anthems are really nice! And danceable… Which now explains why I have a picture of the Vengaboys in this entry… The "ah beng CD" has songs by them! And the nice songs too! Hehehe… I love Vengaboys songs… And right now, I am listening to Kiss like a million times on youtube ==> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxdHE7FXtdM

Damn, now I feel like dancing… ;p

when the cats go home, the RATS come out to play! ;p

2008-02-06T01:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Lunar New Year everyone!

May you be blessed with good health, good fortune and lots of good ol' lurrrve always! =)

you, are...

2008-02-04T08:15:00.000-08:00

a constant reminder of my failure...

on another note: 600 letters in 8 weeks... can i do it? :s

cats don't have nine lives...

2008-01-30T18:11:00.000-08:00

Thursday, 31st January 2008 – 10:01am Singapore time

I saw a dead cat near the bus-stop yesterday. It had its intestines and guts spilling out of its rectum, with no other superficial wounds on its body. At first I thought it was roadkill, but there were no tire marks on its body… Plus, the way the intestines spilled onto the ground was ‘natural’, meaning that if it had really been roadkill and moved from the road onto the grass, the intestines would have been displaced somehow…

The cat also had its paws outstretched in a posture indicative of a violent struggle, a struggle to fight a battle which it had already lost… Its mouth was frozen open and you can hear the silent scream of pain coming out of it… I took a picture of it using my phone, but will not post it up as I don’t want any of you to puke out your breakfasts…

My point is, some asshole(s) did that terrible thing to the cat… I hate people who abuse animals like this… I hope the party(ies) involved in the abuse of that poor cat will get their due punishment for imposing such cruelty on such a helpless thing…

why...

2008-01-29T08:24:00.000-08:00

-Why are the last two issues of 8days more expensive? ($2.50 instead of $2)

-Why are people conveniently allowed to reject and claim that a contract is void when it is signed in a state of drunkedness?

-Why have I stopped drawing and composing poems?

happy birthday jean!

2008-01-28T01:26:00.000-08:00

Monday, 28th January 2008 – 4:49pm Singapore time

First and foremost, Happy birthday Jean!! Lots of hugs and birthday kisses! See you soon for a catch up session ya?

I have finally filed for graduation! Woo hoo!

Well, the other Honourables may not see this as a big deal as most of them have filed for it like ages ago, but it is a big deal for me (and Cheryl Freshie! Haha!)! ;p I am that much closer to getting out of school and worklife, which is kinda exciting and daunting at the same time… I mean, there’s no such thing as skipping lectures or getting off days in your time-table anymore… It’s all for real, and all for the money! But money, oh sweet money! Hee… Maybe it’s worth it… *grin*

Another highlight for today was the MNO lecture… The lecturer seemed to be still in the weekend mood and ended the session quite early… Which is always a good thing… Hehe… Also, there was a nice girl sitting next to me who actually gave me her extra set of printouts as she noticed that I had come a little bit unprepared… Free notes are always welcome of course… =)

Yay to all the nice people! It’s been a really good Monday so far… It has been since early this morning actually… Hehe… I’m happy…

cocky...

2008-01-27T01:47:00.000-08:00

Sunday, 27th January 2008 – 5:30pm Singapore time

I know I can be better than some people when it comes to certain things… I mean, we all have our strengths and weaknesses, don’t we? So, when some of my strengths are being put to the test, I tend to face them head on and with lots of comfort and confidence… This can be a good thing as I will excel to the best of my abilities and offer a good performance to anyone who needs it…

But of course, too much of one thing is never good… Confidence turns to cockiness and I end up losing sight of my main objectives… Hence losing out when I’m not supposed to…

SIGH...

happy birthday reza!

2008-01-26T14:23:00.000-08:00

Here’s to 15(?) years of knowing each other and being besties since we were 16? Hehe, I’ve never been good with numbers anyway (as you know)…

Even though you’ve failed miserably as a Mak Ayam, siphoning off all my hard-earned coins, you’ve been nothing short of great in giving me support, comfort and advice when I needed it the most… Manna *and* Mariah would be so proud! *grin*

So enjoy your big day of hitting the big 2-5, I’ll see you soon to celebrate it of course…

Don’t give me evils! ;p

happy birthday matthew!

2008-01-25T00:37:00.000-08:00

Friday, 25th January 2008 - 4:19pm Singapore time

So, I am finally ready to file for graduation! *lacklustre booty shake of relief* After three rounds of appealing and trips to the dean’s office, I have finally been assigned the last module which I need in order to graduate this semester… One last trip to the dean’s office on Monday and I’ll be all ready!

Needless to say, the past three weeks have been really stressful for me… And it got very disconcerting to the point that I almost lost my temper and burned down the whole of the NUS campus… But then, that would have taken too much time and cost too much money… So I decided to keep all the anger in… Now it’s time to play catch up! I’m glad to have gotten the same class as Cheryl Freshie, so at least we can study together and I can ask her about what’s been going on in class… Yay freshie! ;p

And the happy pictures are here for a reason! The Honours People met up last night to celebrate Matthew Zheng Yujie’s birthday! Happy 25th Birthday Matthew!

I think this was the most fun E Lang outing we’ve had so far and it was really a much-needed break from all the stresses of school and work… Matthew was really sporting and had the placard hanging from his neck throughout the whole celebrations… Of course, I made him take it off when we were commuting home together… Hehe…

I was also especially happy to see my Adik yesterday as I have not seen her since the semester kicked off and really missed her! Good to see you again Adik! Next time when you plan a group lunch, don’t bail out ok? Heehee… *hugs*

This weekend is gonna be a very busy one for me… One more birthday celebration to attend and the Annual General Meeting for the Canadian Dragons will be on Sunday… This coupled with catch up sessions with a couple of friends… Oh well, at least it won’t be stressful…

Happy weekend y’all!

happy!

2008-01-18T01:21:00.000-08:00

Friday, 18th of January 2008 – 5:09pm Singapore time

So the first official week of school has ended… It was nice to see all the E Lang people once again and to be getting ready for all the classes! As much as I say that I hate studying, I do actually like learning sometimes… ;p

Today was a good end to the day because:

1) My hair was very cooperative in the morning

2) I did not miss the bus and hence made it to class on time

3) I had good company for lunch (Delia, Mandy, Pix, “You want how” and Rou’en)

4) I got allocated one module!

I am especially happy about point number 4 as this means I only need one more module and I am all set for the semester! =) I was allocated the module Management and Organisation and although I am not too pleased that it’s on Monday, I’m glad that I got it! At a discount too! Hehe…

I went to the dean’s office yesterday with Cheryl aka the ultimate freshie to submit an appeal to get our missing classes…

I am thankful that they give priority to graduating students and am hopeful I will get the last module soon! The sooner the better of course, so I won’t have to struggle to catch up with what I have missed…

Wish me luck and happy weekend y’all!

looking at the beginning of the end...

2008-01-14T05:32:00.000-08:00

Monday, 14th January 2008 – 9:17pm Singapore time

And so, it was the first day of school today… I didn’t have class, but went to school anyway to look for books and to print out lecture notes and other miscellaneous items… Also met up with Jamal aka Pakcik Tua for dinner… It was nice to see him again after so long… Of course, one of the main topics of our conversation was how unhappy we were about not getting the classes that we need…

I still need two more modules and so does he… And god knows when we will get them… I guess we’ve never encountered this kind of problem before because in the past if you don’t manage to get a module to fulfil one graduating requirement, you can always try out for another module and try again the next semester… Well, since this is the absolute last semester, we don’t really have the liberty of doing that… I foresee having to submit a whole series of appeals before I can finally settle these two modules which I am missing… And probably miss the first lecture for both modules la… So sian! Never mind, shall not harp on such negative issues anymore…

We were also chatting about how tired we are of studying and how exciting it will be to be out in the working world soon… We also discussed career options and our aspirations for the future… The short-term future at least…

I also spoke to Jamal about the mini car accident I had and we both share the same pet peeve when it comes to driving/riding --- we absolutely detest people who refuse to use their signal lights appropriately! Hehe…

We then lapsed into stories of cab drivers… Jamal had this nasty experience with a racist cab driver who was talking down to him, basically labelling him as a no-good delivery boy… And I told him about how I went through this phase of lying to cab drivers, just for the fun of it…

For example, there was one time a cab driver asked if I was Eurasian… So I just said yes and I lapsed into this whole story of having an Australian father and a Malay mother, how they got divorced when I was just eight years old and have been apart since… My ‘father’ has left to live in Melbourne while my mother remarried a Malay man and I have two younger step-sisters who are in secondary school… And so on la… Since the trip was from Bedok to Dover, the story got pretty juicy before I had to go… Ok, now I hope that the taxi uncle doesn’t read blogs… Hee…

So I was bored… And maybe a little crazy also… ;p

Anyway, hope my NUS friends who had class today had a good day… To the honours people: we have finally reached the beginning of the end! Yay!

pissed!

2008-01-11T01:41:00.000-08:00

Friday, 11th January 2008 – 5:04pm Singapore time

I hate NUS! Why do they have to make it so hard just to get classes?! And not like I want to take these classes in the first place… I am happy enough with my English classes, but no, you have to make me take all these unnecessary, irrelevant, heart-attack inducing and time-wasting classes! And what the @#$% for? Just to add on to the already high levels of stress? Life is already hard as it is… Don’t have to add on to the shit leh…

tuition opportunity!

2008-01-07T04:12:00.000-08:00

Those who are keen to take up new tuition kids, I have this to offer:

Who: Two girls, one in Primary 4 and one in Primary 6
What: English, Maths and Science
Where: Hougang

Pay and frequency of classes are negotiable... Should be able to commit for at least a year...

Interested parties please contact me... =)

asraf and the little car accident...

2008-01-03T01:40:00.000-08:00

Thursday, 3rd January 2008 – 5:04pm Singapore time

So I was involved in a car accident today… Here’s how it went:

My elder sister was feeling unwell today, so I was asked to drop her at the clinic before she went to work… At the same time, Danny sent me a message saying that he was at Tampines MRT and was on the way to my place… Danny was to come to my place to borrow some winterwear before his trip to Nepal… So since I was already out and with the car, I told him to wait for me there and that I would pick him up after I dropped off my sister…

Danny was waiting for me near Tampines Mall and as I was approaching him, this stupid-ass car tries to overtake me and without going sufficiently far away from me, he cuts into my lane… His back left bumper scrapes my right front and of course, that means there’s trouble… So I get out of the car and so does the driver of the other car, some old, fat and fugly man… I immediately launched into my offense, telling him off for driving like a stupid-ass… Then he insists it wasn’t his fault, and takes out a pen and some paper to re-illustrate the whole accident… Totally lame la!

So I decided to call my father to ask him what I should do… My dad told me to note down his licence plate number and ask who his vehicle insurer is… Since I already have his licence plate, I proceeded to ask him who his vehicle insurer was… Somehow, he felt that it was something which he shouldn’t reveal and launched back into his stupid version of how he thinks the accident happened… At this point, I was so frustrated, so I raised my voice and said,

“Just answer the @#$%-ing question!!!”

After that, time stood still for a while… Everyone there turned their heads to look at me, and Danny looked shocked… Fat fugly man had a shocked look on his face and ran off a good 20 metres away from me…

Apparently I shouted so loud that I scared him off… Danny said it was a trip down memory lane for him… I had shouted to fat fugly man like how I shouted to my recruits when I was a platoon sergeant… And that means you could hear me from *three* blocks away…

So yeah, fat fugly man felt threatened and decided to call the police… My dad then called to tell me I can leave the scene of the accident and this after he checked with his lawyer friend… So I shouted to fat fugly man (who refused to come near to me and sought solace with some CISCO auxiliary officers) that I was going home… But as I opened the door, the police officers came… So yeah, I had to talk to them… Fat fugly man enthusiastically revisited his stupid diagram to show one of the officers his version of how the accident happened… But they also heard Danny’s side of the story and I think his is the most accurate cos he saw it from outside of the car…

So after taking down my particulars and Danny’s, one of the officers allowed me to go… He was nice, even clearing the road for me so I could exit easily… So yeah, I got home and told my parents the story…

So that was the adventure for the day… I then went for lunch with Danny and Azmi… It’s always so nice to be with them… We go a long way back and I just feel so comfy and at home when I’m with these two buggers… Hehe…

School will be starting soon! Argh! Time to plan the time-table y’all!

argh!

2007-12-31T23:08:00.000-08:00

@#$%!

I think I might have just made a *really* big mistake... It's too late to undo what I've done now and only time will tell if the decision I made was indeed the right one...

Let's wait and see what happens... We will find out in 6 months' time... Sigh...

a few updates...

2007-12-26T10:00:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, 26th December 2007 – 11:32pm Singapore time

Before I begin with the entry proper, just wanna wish everyone a belated Merry Christmas! And also, please support Singapore’s bid for the Youth Olympics! Get rid of the scepticism and be proud of your country for once… Sure, Singapore’s not perfect but at least we’re good… And if you keep comparing your country to some place ‘better’, you will never be happy… Get it? No? Never mind… ;p

*ANYWAY*, we received our results today and I was feeling dreadful about it… And I guess my dread was kinda justified cos I totally @#$%-ed up my Genes and Society module!! I shall not mention the grade here but I am definitely very unhappy with what I got… Thankfully, my other grades were of very acceptable standard and my CAP is still respectable… To me anyway… The main concern for now is the strategy to adopt for next semester and if the strategy will work… It’s times like these when I really hate the NUS system which is so @#$%-ed up la…
Moving along now… My Christmas was actually less eventful than I hoped it to be… I had a waitering stint which came at the last minute but I took it up anyway cos it was good money… I had to work for 7 hours straight though… Needless to say I was exhausted by the time I was done and had to give a Christmas party I was invited to a miss… I was a little unhappy about this as I was really looking forward to this other party… Maybe next year… We’ll see…

This pics here were taken at Cheryl’s surprise birthday party recently… Her boyfriend Erwin Chew put in one month’s worth of effort and conspiring with us in order to make it a success… But then again, given the brightness of Cheryl’s lightbulb, it’s not too hard to organise a surprise party for her… hehe… Kidding! I still love you and will take the Gender module with you, even though the exam is like so bloody freaking late la… But you must study with me ok?

My life is a bit of a mix-up right now… Some things are going quite well, while others are not… I guess my exam results summarises how my life is right now --- one part of it is majorly screwed up while the others are really fine… Let’s hope things get totally better soon… And by the time I get my results next semester, let’s hope both my life and results will be totally ok… =)

support the bid y'all!

2007-12-23T21:19:00.001-08:00

it's official...

2007-12-12T03:23:00.000-08:00

i have lost 3 toenails, thanks to the marathon... both the big toenails and the little one on my left foot are now gone... pictures will not be put up for the sake of those who eat while they read blogs... cheryl tan jue ling, special mms pictures can be sent to you upon special request... ;p i just hope i won't lose anymore...

time(ly) update...

2007-12-03T07:45:00.000-08:00

just checked the website for my marathon time result... i did it in 4:59:26!! haha... i'm happy cos i thought i went over the 5-hour mark... well, i escaped it by merely 34 seconds, but that's good enough for me! ;p

marathon post-mortem...

2007-12-02T22:47:00.000-08:00

Monday, 3rd December 2007 – 2:31pm Singapore time

So I did the marathon yesterday and I finished it, surprise, surprise… My race strategy for yesterday was to just run at a comfortable pace without any dramatic increase or decrease with my speed… And I think this strategy worked quite well cos I managed to run 39km non-stop and I was doing very well until the leg cramps set it… After 39km, my thighs gave up and started to cramp up… They became engorged and stiff, and I was unable to bend my knees; both of them… It was really, really bad cos even after going to every possible deep heat station to get my legs sprayed with deep heat spray, I could not get over the cramps… They kept coming back and I think I had my legs doused with almost one can of deep heat… So I practically had to limp the last 3km of the run and finished with a time of 5 hours… I think it’s a pretty decent time as I had *not* been training a lot at all… Also, the weather yesterday was pretty bad… It got humid very early and the heat was overwhelming… Also, I got over my fear of the pain… I remember when I did my first marathon, I stopped everytime I felt some kind of pain in my legs… Although I clocked a better time then, I’m glad I decided not to give in to the pain this time… So yeah, I’m happy with how I did! =)

Of course, it’s time for recovery now… My legs are hurting like *crazy*!! I can barely walk and it just hurts… Some of my toenails are swollen and I know they will be dropping off real soon… Sigh…

I met up with my team-mate Raj before the race and before we started running, I asked him, “Why are we doing this?”

In fact, there were a few times during the run when I asked myself that question… Then I realised that it’s because running has always been my thing… Despite not training for months, I can still run a marathon… I never seem to be able to hate it… I got my first ever medal when I was 10 years old and it was for running in a relay race… It was a gold medal and I love it to bits… And since then, I never stopped running… So does that mean I will run yet another marathon?

Yes, I would of course… But *only* if I’ve had undergone sufficient training… Cos even though it’s easy to get over the pain while you’re running, it’s *not* easy to recovery from the pain after the run…

stay sac(red)...

2007-11-30T19:51:00.000-08:00

Saturday, 1st December 2007 – 11:23am Singapore time

It’s World AIDS Day y’all! Do your part and help to combat AIDS and especially the stigma attached to it… No gesture is too small… :)

Anyway, it’s been a rather mish-mashy few days for me… Academic-wise, I received a small blow… Sometimes I wish I am more vicious when making decisions… I would be doing so much better… But you also have to consider other factors, like inter-personal relationships, group dynamics and blah, blah, blah… I think I’ll just stick to my strategies for now and if they fail me this time, then a review will be done… If you think this is a little too cryptic to understand, then ask me about it personally… Cos I don’t want everyone to know about this…

So I had my 2nd paper yesterday and it was a little bit tough… It’s for my Interactional Discourse class and to be honest, it’s my weakest English class this semester… I am just unable to really deliver what the lecturer wants and it’s not that I don’t try, but I just don’t know how to do what he wants us to do sometimes… I felt so lost after finishing the paper yesterday… The good news is, so did some of my classmates… But then again, you can’t trust these people sometimes… When they say they’ve @#$%-ed up a paper, it just means they’re getting an A- instead of an A… I’m guilty of doing that sometimes myself… I think it’s just a Singaporean thing to do… Bleargh!

I am doing the marathon tomorrow and am actually quite nervous about it… I have done my training and already set a running strategy in place… I know it will work, but I am just afraid of the amount of pain that I will be experiencing after it’s all over… Especially since I don’t think I trained enough… But I want to do it and I want to overcome my fear of the pain… And of course, it’s always delightful to lose some toenails as it means you don’t have to do any clipping for a month or so… Heehee…

I was initially planning to buy new running shoes as the pair I have now is broken… But I found out that contact glue is way cheaper than a pair of adidas… =)

I am now working on my revision for my Genes and Society paper and it’s not good at all! It’s so annoying… I @#$%-ing hate science!

There’s some activity going on downstairs and I’d just like to say that it can be quite unpleasant to have your flat too close to where the multi-purpose hall is… The perils of communal living…

Speaking of living, I went to visit the new apartment at Tampines yesterday… It looks so much nicer than I thought it would, but also a little bit overstuffed… That’s because the current apartment, despite being a maisonette, is much smaller than the previous one… So I guess my mom has a lot of furniture-donating to do! =)

Alrighty, time to study now… Enjoy your weekend everyone!

dark days for dragonboaters...

2007-11-26T04:08:00.000-08:00

Monday, 26th November 2007 – 7:56pm Singapore time

If you have been watching the news or reading the papers recently, you would have heard of the dragonboating tragedy which took place just a few days ago… As an active dragonboater myself, I do feel really sad that such a bad thing had to happen to fellow paddlers who share the same passion for the sport…

I was especially worried when I first heard wisps of the news as my coach is also the coach for the men’s national team… In addition to that, my buddy from the army, Stanley is also a member of the national team… Needless to say I was really, really worried and sent him an SMS… I was very relieved when he replied to say that he is alright… He SMS-ed me again today after he arrived in Singapore to tell me that he’s fine… I plan to meet up with him soon to just check up on him… My coach is fine too…

I know how depressing it is to lose one friend, but to lose five at one go; that must be really hard… I can’t even try to imagine how their families feel…

They released the pictures of the victims in the papers today and I do find at least two of the men very familiar as we have taken part and raced against each other in a few races before… I just hope such a thing won’t happen anymore, and that they will be more stringent about safety rules, especially those concerning the use of lifejackets…

You can read a bit about the incident here: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/313837/1/.html

time to start the engine...

2007-11-23T07:27:00.000-08:00

Friday, 23rd November 2007 – 11:02pm Singapore time

It’s the first day of my exams tomorrow! Argh! I’m kinda nervous about it actually… The usual exam jitters and the usual stress… I hate exams!! =( Oh well, the faster it starts, the faster I get over with it…

Anyways, I went to VivoCity earlier to get a congratulatory card for Clarence* who gets married tomorrow and while looking through the selection of cards they had at the store, I almost died of diabetes… The cards they offered were sooo saccharine and sweet and glittery and just made me sick! Don’t get me wrong, I do believe in the institution of marriage and I think weddings are occasions to be celebrated, but I was just taken aback by how over-romanticised they have made it out to be… Not sure who I am referring to with ‘they’ in the previous sentence… No wonder some people are so delusional before they decide to tie the knot… Aaah! Whatever la… I have more important things to worry about right now… The important thing is I managed to get a card which I think doesn't look overly-decorated and with just a simple and straightforward message...

Right, so this is just a short update for now… I’ve got a pic of the e lang honours people here… This pic was taken when we had our lunch outing at Kuishin Bo just a few days back… Many thanks to Pix for organising such a successful event! I don’t think I ever had such a fun lunch with such a big group since my Student Council days in JC… The food there was great! I ate until I was positively bloated and pregnant with twins…

Next update might not come so soon… Cos I won’t be doing anything much but study, and I don’t many people would want to read about that… Till next time!

*Clarence is the manager at the cafe I work at, i.e, Munchie Monkey Cafe and the card is meant to be a little token from all of us who work there...

movin' on...

2007-11-18T06:24:00.000-08:00

Sunday, 18th November 2007 – 4:24pm Singapore time

So I am at my parents’ place as I type out this entry… Usually I don’t spend the weekends at my parents’ when the exams are so close, but I had to make an exception as today, they’re moving stuff out to the new apartment… The estate which my parents live in went under en-bloc sale recently and hence, everyone has to move… It’s a good thing that a few of my sister’s students came over to help out with some paintwork and manual labour… I basically did some rounds of carrying boxes and driving them over to the new place…

It’s kinda interesting to experience this whole en-bloc process cos the whole freaking neighbourhood is moving out! So you see lots of abandoned apartments, throngs of unwanted furniture and miscellaneous junk left behind and of course, lots of memories… Pretty soon, we’ll have a whole lot of heavy machinery running over the estate and destroying whatever we have left behind, erasing physical manifestations of our existence in the area…

The funny thing is, I was recently asked to be an extra for a video to promote waterfront living at Bedok Reservoir, which is where my parents live… For the video shoot, I was tasked to sit on a kayak and paddle and look happy… And get paid $50 for that… Hehehe…. It was easy money and I have to thank Danny for the tip-off… Even though my shot was eventually cancelled, I am happy to have been paid to do practically nothing for those two hours… Yeah, but I think it is uncanny that I was indirectly involved with the developer that’s going to build the new condominium complex over here…

Oh well, things like these do happen… Anyways, I had been feeling a little bit lost these last few days as there was no work to do! *Absolutely* weird cos the past month had been so intense with all the bloody deadlines… It was such a stuggle, days and nights of sleeplessness, worry, stress and all that jazz… And now, there’s a little lull and I am thrown totally off balance… But of course, this is just the calm before the storm… The freaking exams are coming in less than a week and I really need to work my arse off… As always… Am very worried about my genes and society exam… I just want to get a C!! I @#$%-ing hate biology… Grrr… And to think I used to harbour hopes of being a vet… Cheh!

Dragonboat training has started again after a one-week break for all of us… And to be honest, it’s been really tough! I think Coach Nasi is a bit unhappy with the general attitude of some of our paddlers who don’t make it to enough practices and yet complain and whine so much and question all his training techniques… I think our coach is arguably the best one in the country, and I guess he has come to the point where he’s annoyed with these little buggers… I personally feel that them being unnecessarily vocal is just a way to compensate for their lack of training commitment… Sometimes it’s good to just shut up and listen… He’s the coach for goodness’ sake… He knows what he’s doing… But yeah, things have been really tough… I almost died during practice on Thursday evening and was under so much pressure I almost jumped into the water and swam back to shore… I managed to survive somehow… But of course, I think it’s good to undergo tough training… It makes you stronger…

My adik Stella once brought up the issue about privacy, about how that you simply do *not* want some people to read your blog, but they still choose to ‘intrude’? Well, I can totally relate to her on this… Like I sometimes feel like just amending the privacy settings of my blog to disallow people I do not want to read my blog from reading my blog (heh), but I also don’t want to do that as there have been cases of people who I want to read my blog actually coming across it and hence were able to keep in touch with me again… It’s like a double-edged sword… So for now, I shall let it be public… But we’ll see how it goes… I have a rough idea of the ones who read my blog, so I will know what to write and what not to… There’s always a paper journal to hold on to… =)

drumming to a new tune...

2007-11-13T06:10:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, 13th November 2007 – 9:17pm Singapore time

FREEDOM!! Muahaha!!

As of now, I am totally absolutely free from all those damn bloody sickening deadlines! No more stupid essays, no more stupid presentations, no more stupid assignments, no more stupid class tests!! Just stupid exams left… *groan*

But I shall remain positive about this and say that I am indeed very happy and feeling a lot of relief that all the other components of assessment are over with and I have time to focus on revising my work and studying for my exams… I can finally sleep in peace!

Phew! It was almost not a 'phew!' cos I forgot to attach the appendixe to my final term paper just now... Hehe... Was too enthusiastic about handing it up... But I have since rectified the situation... :)

Right, let’s move on to other things… Well, the picture you see is me being the little drummer boy for the team! Hehe… We had the Singapore River Regatta on the weekend of 3rd and 4th November and it was simply *amazing*! I also got another medal, silver one this time… This is my third medal for this year and although the other two are gold medals, I feel that this is one which I have worked the hardest for and also the most difficult to get… So I am really damn happy about it… I will not attempt to recap the event… You can go to this link to read the details:

http://dnmcd.livejournal.com/25388.html#cutid1

It is taken from Danny’s blog and he does a great recap of the events which took place, and also included lots of nice pictures… So if you wanna be ‘kay-poh’ and see pics of my team-mates, my coach, and their wild ways, go ahead and click on it…

I actually realise that I don’t have much else to write… I guess it’s because for the past 3 weeks, I have been totally occupied with trying to get all my deadlines settled… But they’re all done now! Yay!

Oh yes, a million apologies to Azmi for forgetting about his birthday and birthday greetings to Khairun! Happy 24th!

will you still love me?

2007-11-12T07:46:00.000-08:00

will you still love me,
when my hair loses its shine?
when my skin is not so taut
and gets fraught with lines?

will you still flirt with me,
when my butt is not perky?
when arms lose their tone
and get loose and flabby?

will you still want me,
when the others don’t?
when it’s harder for me to get attention
and maybe even get none?

cos I think I will… love you still that is… :)

i so wanna update my blog...

2007-11-05T22:46:00.001-08:00

but i simply do *not* have the time right now... sigh... stay tuned... i promise that an update will come soon...

on hari raya and other concerns...

2007-10-22T10:35:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, 23rd October 2007 – 1:20am, Singapore time

I just got back from a run, it’s raining like crazy outside and I blog as I wait for my laundry to be done…

It’s been a while since I last wrote and it’s not because I stopped writing altogether, it was because I was bus writing other shit which I don’t enjoy writing at all! I simply *hate* doing essays! But then again, they’re better than MCQ questions… MCQ questions are cruel… They don’t give you room to make mistakes… Essays are more forgiving… They allow you some leeway and pardon you for your transgressions…

Anyway, I know it’s kinda super late, but I would still like to wish everyone Eid Mubarak! Hari Raya this year has been interesting for me, especially since I was overseas when it happened last year… It was actually really nice to meet up and catch up with some relatives, while it bored the living daylights out of me to be visiting others… I’m kinda at the transition phase… I’m too old to be really playing around with the kids, but not old enough to have meaningful conversations with the more senior relatives… But thank goodness for some of my cousins of course…

Speaking of cousins, the more I look at them, the more I realise how alike we are… The Angullia gene is pretty strong, I must say… We all have the same prominent nose, the same set of bushy eyebrows, big eyes and of course, the same trademark coarse and stubborn Angullia hair…

I am also grateful to the E Lang Honours people for getting together to write me a card… It’s a really sweet and thoughtful gesture which I appreciate very much… Thanks y’all! =)

I am very, very nervous about doing my time trial tomorrow… It’s gonna be a lot of pain and a lot of anxiety and also, the fear of failure… I did a very bad time trial the first time I did it and I’m so afraid that it might happen again… I know I have been training hard and consistently… But I’m not sure if it’s good enough… Somehow I lack the experience with this… We’ll see how it goes… Wish me luck!

It’s Systemic Functional Linguistics day tomorrow… I’m beginning to like Dr. Peter Wignell… I think he’s really nice! But I just wish the classes won’t so intense… I always leave the computer lab with an aching brain… Sigh… Maybe it’s not used to being worked so hard… Heehee…

Time to hang the laundry now!

the one where asraf goes to the doctor's...

2007-10-11T08:13:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 11th October 2007 – 10:53pm Singapore time

I went to the University Health & Wellness Centre today to get my feet checked cos I noticed some possible kind of fungal infection going on. Now, the centre functions like a typical polyclinic in Singapore --- tonnes of people, long waiting periods; but cheap or almost free treatments which are quite effective, provided you’re not suffering from anything serious.

So I took a number and waited, and waited and waited… As I did not want to miss dragonboat practice today, I had to leave the centre by 5:30pm or else I wouldn’t be able to make it on time… So at about 5 minutes past 5pm (after waiting for 45 minutes), I decided to throw a tantrum… *grin*

I went to the registration counter and told the lady manning the counter that I wanted to pull out of the queue cos I had been waiting for a ridiculously long time… She somehow got affected by this and asked me to hang on while she checks to see if she could somehow speed me up… I then went on to bitch about how unfair their system was, that people who came much later than I did were given treatment first and blah, blah, blah… I told her I would only wait for 5 more minutes and somehow, that did the magic cos she immediately went to a doctor’s room and I was ushered in a few minutes later…

So being a jerk helps sometimes eh? ;p

Anyways, the doctor suspected that it was foot rot but wasn’t sure, so she sent me to the lab where they scraped off some of the affected areas for testing to be done… It turned out to something less serious and she prescribed me some potassium permanganate lotion to soak my feet in and some cream to apply on the problem spots… I was done in less than 20 minutes and proceeded home to pack my stuff for training…

Training was tough, as it had been the last month or so… I think it’s tougher for me as it is still the fasting month… Somehow, you just wear out more quickly, you lose steam and energy after a while, and it’s a little hard to give 100%... I guess that’s natural, given that you’re deprived of food or water for a substantial part of your waking hours…. But the good news is, tomorrow’s the last day of the fasting month! Yay! My days of dehydration are over, at least for now…

Alrighty, I think I have soaked my feet for long enough now… Time to dry them off and apply the cream!

9am class tomorrow… *groan*

PS: I *did* thank the lady at the registration counter for helping me out, and I did it nicely, ok? ;Pp

happy birthday christine!

2007-10-10T09:13:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday to the sweetest, cutest girl I know... Hehe... Christine Chen! She was 17 last year and so this year, she turns 16... She's 'special' that way... You know what I mean... Heehee... May all your wishes come true babe! Hugs... =)

i'm really sick...

2007-10-10T08:58:00.000-07:00

of always being the last one...

did i really look like that?

2007-10-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

Monday, 8th of October 2007 – 9:34pm Singapore time

It’s official: I am not born to be a scientist… We discussed the answers to the mid-term test on Saturday… The test about DNA structures, translation, transcription and all that shit… Shit which I really hate!

I did *not* do well at all… Sigh…

Anyway, here’s a recap of a funny conversation which I had recently:

Asraf: Those people used to hang out with me a lot.

Friend: Really? They all look like freaky geeks! Or geeky freaks!

Asraf: Don’t say that! I used to be one of them.

Friend: But how do you manage to look so human?

Asraf: I guess that’s why I eventually had to leave the group.

After the conversation, I did really ask myself how I managed to be part of such an unconventional group for so long… I don’t know, I guess people do funny things sometimes… Hehe…

science just ain't it my genes...

2007-10-06T20:48:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 7th October 2007 – 11:29am Singapore time

I had the term test for my Genes and Society class yesterday and it simply *sucked*! I had studied quite a bit for the test and was pretty sure I could handle the questions, but oh, I was so damn wrong! The test had an MCQ format; 40 questions in 45 minutes. I thought that it’d be manageable enough, but yes, I was wrong…

Many of the questions required thinking, like you know, lots of thinking so I ended up spending too much time figuring out the answers to those questions and by the time I got to the second half of the paper, I only had 10 minutes left! So it was a mad rush to finish the paper which was a waste cos the second part of the test had questions which were easier… I could have gotten more of the answers right if I didn’t have to rush through them… Sigh… Oh well, we’ll see how the results are when they come out… *fingers crossed*

Dragonboat yesterday was pretty tough too, we did eight sets of 30-second sprints and after those were done, I was practically flat out… It’s always been hard having to engage in physically-demanding activities when you’re fasting and yesterday was the worst cos I also did not get sufficient sleep (studying for the stoopid test) and was kinda dehydrated… I don’t think I performed very well for the rest of the training session, but I did manage to survive… Just six more days of fasting and soon I’ll be back in optimum shape to handle training again…

It was Daniel’s birthday yesterday! Happy birthday Dan! Didn’t know he was the same age as I was… Somehow I’ve always had the impression that he was younger… Must be me feeling old about myself again… Heehee…

I have another test this week! Grr… It’s for an English class though, so hopefully it’ll be more manageable…

I’ve included two pics taken from the café’s birthday celebration the other night…. I have a retarded smile in the second picture cos I was eating and I think I had some food stuck in between my teeth, so didn’t dare to give a full smile in case unsightly particles of food get caught on camera… ;p

They did mass fumigation at my neighbourhood recently… It wasn’t aimed at the mozzies, but the fumigation was done in the rubbish chutes to kill the pests that dwell in there… Especially the roaches of course… Those who read entries from my facebook profile will know that I absolutely detest roaches and when I heard that the fumigation was going to be done, I was more than ecstatic… One thing they us to do was to seal the chute openings in our apartments while the fumigation was being done so that the roaches won’t be able to make their way into our homes while they try to escape the fumes…

I sealed mine pretty well… They did the fumigation, lots of roaches died and my house has been roach-free for quite a while now… I’ve decided not to take away the seal on the chute opening for now… I think it helps to keep them away…

I think I should be doing some schoolwork now, but I just don’t feel like doing it… How?

happy birthday hoppe/andrew/sean! =)

2007-10-04T09:11:00.000-07:00

Friday, 5th October 2007 – 12midnight Singapore time

First and foremost, I’d like to wish Hoppe/Andrew/Sean a very Happy Birthday! May you get to travel (for work) less and may you not be partnered with annoying people during dragonboat practice ever again! So next time, make sure you try to sit next to me… Hehe…

My day went pretty well… Went to stock up on groceries, also for a haircut… A bit pissed that I forgot to buy Milo… It’s the 3rd time I’m forgetting this… Tsk! Even after putting it down clearly on my shopping list… Perhaps Milo and I are not meant to be… Sigh…

It was also the café’s 3rd birthday today… Well, technically it was yesterday, but we decided to celebrate it today, so who cares eh? The food was nice, many nice people came and I guess you’ll see how nice it is when the pictures come out… If they do come out that is…

I’m kinda feeling stupid today… Like I don’t know… I think I lost some brain cells or something… So, I shall stop writing now cos I don’t have anything smart or substantial to say… Till next time, hopefully after the recovery of these lost cells…

happy happy day...

2007-10-03T07:22:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, 3rd October 2007 – 10:07pm Singapore time

Wow, it’s been *ages* since I last blogged, but I hope I haven’t lost touch yet… Here it goes, my first entry since my hiatus… =)

I just got back home now after hosting yet another session of Quiz Night at the café… I would say that this was the best session I’ve had so far… I had practically 100% participation rate, the audience were responsive and interacted with me freely and I even have regular Quiz Junkies! A particular group of them have been taking part in the Quiz since I first launched it and even though they have yet to win anything, they always seem to have fun and just now, as they were leaving, they said to me,

“See you next week!”

Happiness! Hehe… Organising the Quiz Night at the café had been my “Baby Project” since the semester started and I am really very glad that it’s working out fine so far…

Another reason why I am soooooo happy is because of what I found in my mailbox just now… If you look at the first picture, you will see a package of sorts… Well, that package came from the other side of the world… It’s a package from Norway! =) My really good friend from Oslo, Jan Benny decided to send me the package filled with lovely chocolate goodies! Although his wrapping skills leave much to be desired, the whole gesture itself is absolutely sweeeeeeet!! I am like soooooo touched la! Especially since he decided to include “Kvikk Lunsj” in the package (circled in red in the second picture)… His choice of including this item was by no means prompted by me, which makes it even sweeter! The thing is, I have a special affinity for Kvikk Lunsj ('Quick Lunch' in English) cos when I was living in Oslo about a year ago, I simply lurrrrved to eat it! And I am sooooo happy to see it again! Hee…

Jan Benny also included a postcard with a nice message inside… The thing that prompted him to send me the package was my little accident while walking down the stairs one day… The accident caused me to twist my ankle and he wrote a note to wish me a quick recovery… Of course, I have recovered… You know, it kinda takes quite long for a package to arrive from so far away… But bottom line: it was a gesture very, very much appreciated! Tusen takk Jan Benny!

Oh, by the way, forgive me for the shitty quality of the pictures… They were taken on my webcam as I do not have alternative devices for photo-taking…

Another thing which made my day was the card I received from Lilian, my team-mate from the Canadian Dragons… It’s a Hari Raya card and it’s in a lovely shade of green! Absolutely love it! So thanks very much to you too, Lilian, for such a thoughtful greeting…

This turned out to be a pretty good day… I managed to really clean the apartment, got myself some loyal Quiz Night Junkies and I got really, really sweet gifts!

Totally feeling the love now… =)

guess who's back??

2007-10-03T07:03:00.000-07:00

Hi y'all! Guess what? I've decided to start blogging again... =) So come back whenever, and hopefully there'll be an update waiting for you...

adieu...

2007-06-03T06:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 3rd June 2007 – 9:10pm Singapore time

Due to reasons which I do not wish to reveal, I have decided to stop blogging… I can’t say if it would be for good, but it will at least be for a substantial period of time…

I would just like to thank you for visiting my blog and taking the time to read it…

Special thanks to all the people who took the extra time to leave their comments behind… I read each and every one of them and some of your comments have actually inspired me to write even more…

It has been almost a year of fun holiday trips, birthdays, good days and bad ones… All of which are preserved here…

I like writing and I will carry on doing so, just privately this time…

Bye! =)

the coach...

2007-05-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 31st May 2007 – 7:45pm Singapore time

I am pooped! Yay! ;p

It’s been rather tiring at work and right now, I have taken on another responsibility: coaching a debating team … The National Inter-Pre-University Debating (Malay) tournament kicks off on Saturday and I have been busy working with the team from Al-Ma’arif Institution in their preparation for the preliminary rounds of the tournament... Why the particular team? Well, two of the debaters are my sisters! Haha… My younger twin sisters are in the team and I have offered to help out the whole team since 50% of the team is family… ;p

To be honest, it’s been a while since I last coached a team and the rust shows… My Malay is so bad now la! But at least I can still outline and prepare a debate case… That's the mark of a true ex-national debater! Haha! *shameless* I think we have a good case outlined and with enough practice, will be able to do well in it! Wish my team luck y’all!

To *someone*: What about an evening cable car ride? Then supper after? With all the yummy Singaporean goodies Can ask Hwai Ee to come along also…

Happy Vesak Day! =)

the day when things didn't really go the right way...

2007-05-28T07:58:00.000-07:00

Monday, 28th May 2007 – 9:44pm Singapore time

First and foremost, I would like to wish mommy dearest a very happy birthday! Love you lots and always!

Today had been a bad day, even before I woke up… I had this really bad nightmare last night which was, well, nightmarish… I don’t wish to share what it was about, but it made me wake up unhappy…

Things didn’t get better… I couldn’t find my pants in the morning, I had some really rude people on the phone at work, bad internet, miscommunication with some people, incompetent salespeople and insensitive humans… Combination of all of this ==> bad day! I am gonna go to bed early so that the ‘bad-ness’ won’t last too long… Let’s hope no more nightmares this time…

By the way, I brought Lars to the zoo yesterday, without *someone*… Cos *someone* backed out from going with us… So, let’s hope this *someone* won’t back out next time, or even better, organise something for Lars and me… =)

Some points I pondered over during the weekend: if you wanna lead the pack, make sure you’re worthy cos if you suck and you still insist on being at the frontline, you’re just plain pathetic and making yourself an easy target for criticism…

2007-05-24T09:54:00.000-07:00

When you’ve been trying to learn a new skill for months and you *still* are unable to master the basics of the skill after so long, it means that:

a) You’re plain stupid

AND

b) You refuse to listen to others’ advice

AND

c) You should just give up and try something else

I simply can’t believe how @#$%-ing shameless and thick-skinned some people are…

read all about it...

2007-05-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, 22nd May 2007 – 11:53pm Singapore time

I was in the papers yesterday! Heehee… Well, a very tiny version of me la… It was a picture taken during the Dragon Tug, and it was just before we had our very last face-off with the Ozzies… If you click and enlarge the picture, just look to the left and you can see a very tiny (and distorted) me in a little red rectangle… *grin*

Anyway, work has become a little bit more fun now cos Jamal and Afidah are now in the building! Yay! It’s always been fun to hang out with these crazy kids in school, so I’m sure it’ll be as much fun to do it at work… It’ll be the same kind of madness but with clickety shoes and power lunch meetings… Hehe…

Results coming out on Friday! *gasp*

to aisha angullia...

2007-05-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday.

I Love You. =)

tugging at my strings...

2007-05-20T05:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 20th May 2007 – 7:45pm Singapore time

I am exhausted! But oh so happy… Lemme tell you why… Today was the UOB’s Ultimate Dragon Tug Challenge… It’s basically tug-of-war on dragonboats… Very interesting concept and it’s the first time ever (in the world) that such an event is being organised… What was more interesting was that they had the tug done using a pulley system so that both teams are attached to the same rope and are going the same direction… I was sceptical about it at first, but the system worked really well and we had so much fun!

End result: The women came in ultimate champions and the two mixed teams came in second and third! The men got their asses whooped but not before they took out the Germans and a team called Merlion which lost to us in a span of 10 seconds! Hehe…

The best race of the day for me would be the one where the two Canadian teams, Canadian 1 and Canadian 2 had to slug it out for the silver placing… The Canadian 1 team is the better team of the two, with stronger and more experienced paddlers… I was in the Canadian 2 team, which was alright cos I am more of a ‘speed’ paddler, less of a ‘strength’ one…

So the horn sounded off and we began the tug… For the first 30 seconds or so, we were neck-and-neck and the tension was so great that my arms started to get numb… But we paddled and paddled and after a while, we got a little bit of a lead… That gave the whole boat a whole new surge of confidence and we started paddling even harder… It was mad and I could feel that everyone used every ounce of energy they had… Our boat started inching forward even more and before we knew it, the whistle was blown and we were declared winners! Hurrah! The feeling was indescribable la! Victory really tastes damn sweet…

Another happy moment would be when my team-mate Pauline emerged as the fastest woman paddler of the day as recorded by the paddle-simulation machine! I am extra proud cos she thanked me for helping her out with the timing when she was trying to set the record! Yay Pauline and yay me! ;p

I am *not* looking forward to work tomorrow… I wanna sleep in la! Sigh… And I think I will lose my voice from all the shouting when I was drumming the men’s boat and from all the cheering… But it has been a good day… I thoroughly enjoyed myself and will definitely take part again next year… =)

to a friend...

2007-05-18T08:27:00.000-07:00

Friday, 18th May 2007 – 11:07pm – Singapore time

First and foremost, I would like to offer my deepest and most heartfelt condolences to my friend Serlynna Fong who lost her grandmother today… Serlynna is pregnant with her first child and today is also her 26th birthday… Have a blessed birthday Serlynna, I wish you and your unborn child the best of health… May God be with you in tough times like these…

With that said, I don’t think I wanna say anything else… Have a safe weekend y’all…

on anger and hatred...

2007-05-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

When you hate someone soooo much, it doesn’t take much for that person to piss the hell out of you… That person can be passing by, be in the same train or at the same party… Whatever the situation, the sudden jolt of anger and extreme hatred just strikes… It’s like you don’t have control over yourself anymore…

You start thinking of the horrible things this person had done, how your life got ruined, how things will never be as good as they were, and many other really negative thoughts too…

Then, you start thinking of inflicting pain on this person too… A tit for a tat, en eye for an eye… Afterall, if that person managed to ruin your life, it surely means you can do the same… Only when you do it, you make sure the person gets it worse… Cos you want this person to really feel the pain; much more pain than you did…

But of course, when you think about it again, you might start to think on how it is a total waste of time to teach this person a lesson… I mean, why bother with worthless pieces of shit? Wait, shit has its value: it can be used to fertilise the plants… Low-class people don’t… And they will never be able to learn a lesson cos they don’t even have brains to process the lessons which they receive… So forgive them for doing stupid things, if you can…

So perhaps the wise thing to do is to just get on with life and be as normal as you can… And when the time comes for you to have an encounter with the person you hate, relax yourself and let the anger flow through a little… It’s perfectly ok to get angry sometimes…

the short one...

2007-05-15T09:19:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, 16th May 2007 – 11:32pm Singapore time

I am *TIRED*!!! It has been a little draining at work cos I have to re-adjust to the morning shift now, which hopefully will be permanent cos I just got transferred to another department! Hurrah! The good thing is, it’s the same department I worked for last year, so it was easier for me to settle in... Also, my hours are more regular, no major disruptions to other commitments and no need to work on Saturday! *booty shake*

Other than that, my life has been pretty uneventful so far… Hwai Ee! Back from Taiwan right? Hope you had loads of fun! Message me ok? I’m trying to organise something with Huiqing, see if it pulls through before her Redang and Melbourne trip… *fingers crossed*

I actually have some funny stories to tell, but too tired to type… Haha… Maybe next time la... ;p

the entry that makes me tired...

2007-05-08T07:56:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, 8th May 2007 – 10:20pm Singapore time

First and foremost, Happy Birthday to Nurul and to Kak Noi! God bless you!

Secondly, I wanna apologise to Hajar for not getting back to her sooner than I would like… I was having dinner with a friend when you first SMS-ed and after that was stuck in a meeting for about 1 ½ hours… But I called you immediately after that and still not sure if you’re ok… Get better soon ya?

It was my first day at work today… I hate it cos:

1) Must do shift work; I prefer regular hours!

2) Must work alternate Saturdays! (*shriek!*)

3) Must call people all the time

4) There’s a target set for you every month! Bleah!

But what to do? A boy’s gotta earn his keep! Anyways, I wanna recount a very disconcerting experience today… Someone made this comment to me:

“I’m sorry, but I think people in your (University) course must do their honours.”

Like, what the @#$%??!

Firstly, the person who made this remark is also from NUS and to make things worse, he’s from my faculty! The only difference would be that he’s majoring in a social science while I am a humanities major…

So what makes a social science undergrad more special than a humanities one? Don’t we get a bachelor of arts at the end of three years? And the difference is only highlighted after the honours stage… I can go on bitching about what he said la, but I don’t think I want to… Not worth the effort, seriously…

It just saddens me that such attitudes still prevail in the world of academia: Elitism in the world of ‘elites’… Same faculty leh… Oh well…

Anyways, I got myself new shoes! Very nice, but since the leather is still a little hard, so some little blisters on my feet now… But me likey those shoesies… Haha…

Ok, I think I’ve written too much now… Time to snooze! =)

spread 'em!

2007-05-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 5th May 2007 – 1:02am Singapore time

I am home y’all! Hehe… Feels good to be in my room again… I mean the one with air-con…

Dragonboat yesterday was good! Coach got us to *really* focus on our technique and I think he somehow managed to get the whole boat to really paddle their hardest… It was so intense, but it felt so good… And Melvin treated me to dinner after training… He said it was my reward for pulling though with my exams! Yay! Now I feel motivated to go through with my next set of exams… Melvin is so nice la… He’s like the elder brother I never will have… ;)

Anyways, I went for a haircut today… The woman who did my hair seem quite insistent that I go for the spiky look! I don’t want spiky already la! Too old for it… ;p And when I refused, she somehow took it out on me by pulling at my hair extra hard when she wanted to make the cuts… Evoul! And then, she used the texturising scissors all over me! Texturising scissors (the ones where one of the blades look like a comb) can be good for some people but I don’t think it works for my kind of hair la… That’s cos my hair is rather fine (despite its abundance) and, sad to say, the growth is not evenly distributed, meaning some parts of my scalp are more sparsely covered than others… Sigh… But of course, y’all won’t notice it… I *know* how to hide some of my flaws… Hehe…

I managed to do laundry though it’s all still hanging all over my place… Gotta go back there to get it sorted out… Maybe Monday...

Oh, I managed to get a job! Yay!! I have to do shift work and the pay is lower than expected, but who cares?! I shall be fruitfully employed once again… Now, time to look for nice shoes for work… My current pair has been with me since I was 16… So I think it’s fair for me to start looking for new ones…

I feel very calm and relaxed now… Cos I know I get to rest a little before the new sem starts… Also, it feels nice to be at home too… Just got tired of being on my own and suffering for so long…

And to Mr. O: Thanks la… I know you don’t want me to thank you openly, so I do it ‘closely’ ok? Haha… Despite behaving like a grumpy old man (that you are), you always offer me your help and support at the right time… You’ll always be an inspiration to me… Except for when you start drinking… Haha! Here's to more years of 'good' friendship!

To people who want to see me, now’s the perfect time… Ask me out ok? We need to catch up on the good old times… Three months of carefree days with me await you… =)

woo hoo!

2007-05-03T01:26:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 3rd May 2007 – 3:58pm Singapore time

It’s *finally* over! O-V-E-R! Over!! Hehe… It is official that one hour ago, I submitted my last ever exam script for the semester hence marking the end of my third year in NUS and this is very significant cos it means that I technically have a Bachelor’s Degree in my hands! *mad dance all over the place* Phew!

This is a big deal for me of course, and I just feel soooo tempted to just file for graduation and start *really* enjoying non-schooling life! But for now, the plan is for me to stay one more year in the dreaded institution and get an Honours degree… Unless something forces me to abandon this plan, I will stick to it…

It had been a very tough exam period for me because the exams lasted way too long and the mental lethargy became almost too much to bear… It was also tough because it’s my first semester after Oslo and I tell you, once you get a taste of heaven, hell becomes twice the torture… In addition to that, I am taking modules of a higher level, modules which require more effort and higher level of thinking… These modules demand the best of the student and push him to the limits… Hence, when all these factors are considered and inter-woven with one another, the result would ultimately be a stressed-out student on the verge of insanity… Haha…

Ok, I am looking forward to the hols of course, but still no call from Income… So it means I might be jobless… *gasp* Time to start looking for other resources…

I am going for dragonboat later to paddle out the remnants of my stress! Yay! Then it’s time to head home and do some spring cleaning and laundry before packing my bags and heading back to my parents’… I do miss being home, especially eating all the good food there… Yum! Really looking forward to coming back actually…

And of course, looking forward to spend time with my beloved friends during the hols… Especially people like Huiqing and Hwai Ee… They’re the best! ;p

Alright, time for a little nap before heading on to do other things! Woo hoo!

the last hurdle awaits...

2007-04-30T01:09:00.000-07:00

Monday, 30th April 2007 – 4:11pm Singapore time

Four down, one more to go! *tiny booty shake*

The paper just now was actually quite a tough one… A few tough questions, but generally quite doable… But there was one question which I couldn’t do leh… And it was about the ethic of reciprocity… Like where did that come from? It was a question worth eight marks and I think for my efforts, I will get two… Haha!! However, I do feel much more relieved now cos I only have one paper left and it’s an *OPEN-BOOK EXAMINATION* hehe…

Of course, that doesn’t mean that I don’t have to study for it… It simply means that I don’t have to stress out about memorising the key words and concepts… I just need to get a better understanding of the subject I’m dealing with and how I can handle questions related to the subject…

This series of exams has proven to be my toughest one in NUS so far… I guess higher level modules require more brain juice from you… But like all stressful times, this one will pass…

Looking forward to the hols… Long hols!! Woo hoo!

Still a little concerned about not having a job though… I don’t know if I should look for other employment possibilities or if I should just wait for a call from Income… *ponder*

Oh well, time to lounge around a little! Happy Labour Day y’all!! =)

a tribute to you...

2007-04-27T22:46:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 28th April 2007 – 1:35pm Singapore time

In very stressful and difficult times like these, you turn to your family and friends for support… Some people give you a little bit of support while others go all the way, just for you… I’ve come to realise that I have been very blessed to have a really wonderful family and some very, very good friends… This one’s for you, you know who you are… I love you a lot and appreciate you always being there…

sizing things up...

2007-04-27T02:52:00.000-07:00

Friday, 27th April 2007 - 5:27pm Singapore time

Third paper is finally over! Big phew! I must say that is was kinda tough, especially the first question… It left me so stunned that I was just sitting there staring at the paper for while before I started thinking of doing it… But the second question was more doable… But then, it was only worth 40% of the marks… Sigh… Never mind, I am banking on the marks I have accumulated so far to help me with the final grade… Hehe…

Thanks to Aunty Evelyn for her well wishes! I am still kinda dying, but feeling better now… Just two more papers and it’d be time to shake my booty! ;p

My next paper is on Monday which means my weekend would be non-existent… Bleah…

By the way, I think it is kinda vulgar for guys to go out to eating places wearing their *really* short-shorts…. Like the ones some runners use while running/jogging… They are running shorts la, not ones to be worn in other contexts… It’s almost like wearing your swimming trunks out… Not very tasteful especially when you have elephant thighs…

Anyways, I received a phonecall a few days ago from someone from NTUC Income… She was basically offering me a temp position as a customer relations officer during the hols… I’ve been working for them during my hols ever since I was a freshie so this phonecall was actually kinda expected… But then, the same girl called me again today saying that they would have to put their offer on hold due to some unforeseen reasons which she was unable to disclose… Sian… I really hope it’s just a slight hiccup and that I will be ultimately offered a job… I don’t want to be jobless and useless for the next three months! Will die lor… *fingers crossed*

Oh, I like curry puffs and I like the fact that my landlords always buy them for me for breakfast… Nice, nice landlords… Hehe…

I also like putting things out in italics...

Have a good weekend y’all! =)

it's running through my mind...

2007-04-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, when someone does something really bad to me and makes me feel so sad, I wonder: is this something I really deserve, or is this person just being a plain asshole?

When shit is stirred, it's not pretty at all... But you just gotta ride the wave and wait for it to settle... Some shit doesn't take too long to settle, but others do... It's this kind of shit which I really hate... Please just let it be over... Like totally over... Like now...

Went for dragonboat practice today after missing *five* practices... Let's just say I am happy to be alive... Phew!

especially for stella...

2007-04-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

Adik, feel better soon cos the world ain't as beautiful when you're feeling down...

just keep swimmin', swimmin', swimmin'...

2007-04-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

Monday, 23rd April 2007 – 10:02pm Singapore time

Had the Principles of Marketing paper today… It was a very draining paper! Fairly doable but absolutely draining… Almost didn’t finish it… But I managed to and I think I will get a decent grade for this class…

I am totally beat… Will go for a run later to relieve some stress later though… I need to be refreshed… ;)

Anyways, thanks to Yatee for the (hopefully) flattering comment… How did the magazine end up in NTU? And to Rohana, if you wanna see the cover, come to NUS and get it… Haha! I cannot post the pic here la… It’s not suitable for children… ;p

And thanks to Christine and Selena for actually asking for my autograph! Haha… So nice la both of you… Make me malu though… I'm a shy boy eh... But thanks much, much!! =)

Ok, two down! Three to go!

attack of the killer coverboy...

2007-04-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 22nd April 2007 – 12:15am Singapore time

So at the age of 24, I finally make it to a cover of a magazine! I’m a coverboy now! Yay! Haha, cheap thrill… The picture above is of me and the sweetest most gorgeous girl in the world Stella Leong and I’m actually holding up a copy of ‘the ridge’ with me on the cover! Yay! But I purposely covered some parts of the cover cos I want this blog to retain its PG rating… Haha…

Some very good and nice comments about how I look… And stupid Jianbang said something not so nice… Grrrr… But the truth hurts sometimes eh? Kudos to him for having eyes which are (annoyingly) sharp…

First exam is finally over! Four more papers to go… I think today’s paper was a good start despite it being a Saturday… The paper was a little tough but quite manageable… So thanks Dr. Ho! ;p

This next picture is of me and Christine Chen Huiqing! Ain’t she cute y’all? I’m really blessed to have such gorgeous classmates and these people have very good hearts too! I’m gonna miss you when you’re gone… ;) But must still ‘haunt’ me ok? Hehe…

The next two weeks are gonna be pretty tough… Lots of late nights, early mornings, pimples, eyebags, bad hair and crappy outfits… But all in the name of academic love and the thirst for success, right? Right…

I have a flower in my garden and it looks like it could grow to be something really beautiful… I give it water and sun and air and love, but it keeps on wilting and its leaves start to grow brittle and dry… What am I doing wrong? I dunno but the flower keeps on being so… So maybe it’s what it is to me: the flower and I are not meant to be…

Asraf is so cryptic sometimes… =)

even tyra has exam stress...

2007-04-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdHpYMR4ljY

Amazing what exam stress can do to you... Damn, if I had my own talkshow, I'd be doing the same thing too... =)

just nip it...

2007-04-17T23:30:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, 18th April 2007 – 1:50pm Singapore time

Sometimes, it’s better to nip it in the bud… Especially when you are not sure if it will bloom into a beautiful flower, or into a monstrous and fugly stupid-ass weed…

happy birthday melvin!

2007-04-17T11:04:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, 18th April 2007 - 12:44am Singapore time

Happy 28th Birthday to Melvin Gan Kang Wei! Yay! Melvin is like my bestest friend from the Canadian Dragons... Always very reliable, motivating, approachable, nice and always co-concocting super lame-ass jokes for me to laugh at... My favourite one so far is the 'post-war leftovers' one... Not forgeting the 'rendang babi' joke too... Hehe... Here's to a great celebration of you... I wish that you be blessed with good health and good fortune always... And all the best with your 'Mat'... Haha... Hope to have many, many more years of great friendship and camaderie with you... You're truly a friend to be treasured... =)

Ok, on to today's update... Well, there's nothing much to update leh... Was in the library the whole day studying... What else am I supposed to do? Oh, I did meet up with my adik today... That poor girl kena sunburn... Of course I saw it as an opportunity to inflict even more pain on her by rubbing the raw skin on her back... Hehe... Dunno why she still calls me her abang... ;p

I am expectedly stressed out about the exams, but also handling the stress quite well at the same time... Hope this mood stays for the whole period...

Oh, and I realised that since this is the end of my 3rd year, I have taken 25 modules in NUS (excluding the six I did in Oslo) and this means I have 25 sets of ex-classmates... No wonder I see familiar faces on campus all the time... You just keep forgetting which class you had them in... Oh well, smile can already la... Hehe...

[I think like this]:

I have been here for a very long time
I see many people I know

because of this, I feel something good
I want other people to know I feel something good
I move the whole in my mouth upwards to create something good
this something good is what people call a smile
when other people see this, I want them to feel something good

*THIS* is what you learn in Uni! Tee hee!

Good luck to fellow muggers!

things are a-bubblin'...

2007-04-13T06:36:00.000-07:00

Friday, 13th April 2007 – 9:13pm Singapore time

Friday the 13th y’all! But it was a pretty good day, despite the bad thunderstorm in the afternoon… Super loud thunder and super freaky lightning… *shudder*

Got back my Pragmatics term paper today… Didn’t do very well… Sigh… I think it was because he has too high expectations of me… Or am I not good enough to be in an honours-level class? I don’t know la, but I hope I will do well for the final exam and hopefully that will help to boost my grades a little…

Anyways, on to the positive things… Had lunch with Christine today… Fun la, I’m gonna miss you so much when you graduate!! Since you’re gonna slack for one year, must come to NUS and kacau me ok? Especially after the new arts canteen opens… And I will try to be online more often…

Also confided some stuff to my little adik Stella… I am surprised at the level of comfort I feel when I’m around her even though we’ve ‘officially’ known each other for only four months… That just shows how quality is more important than quantity… You’re godsent la, adik… Heart heart you a lot… Hehe…

Rohana: I don't want to carry umbrella around la... Too leceh... And I am too stubborn (and vain)... ;p

It was also Writers’ Night tonight… Lots of nice bubbles and crazy people… Haha…

Time to watch the news now… Ciaoz!

PS: Think I’m finally in the right frame of mind to start mugging… Rejoice!

trying to head the right way...

2007-04-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 12th April 2007 – 11:14pm Singapore time

I just got back from practice… It was a good session and I actually tried to cox the boat today… Verdict: disaster!! I almost killed my team-mates cos my steering was so bad I almost crashed the boat into a wall… And not once, my dear reader, Asraf Angullia attempted homicide *twice*… Sigh… But it was a good attempt… Or at least that’s what everyone said in front of me… Hah…

Anyways, I am so hating the rain… Too much of it la… So annoying… I got drenched yesterday when I jumped out of my bus to the bus-stop… And that was barely a second of exposure to the rain! Crazy la…

Last class of the semester tomorrow morning… Although I am happy about that, I am also stressed out cos it means full-time mugging has to begin! Yikes! God help me…

don't speak...

2007-04-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, 11th April 2007 – 11:22pm Singapore time

Why do people lie? I’m not talking little white lies here… Everyone does that… I’m referring to big huge-ass lies which never stop… Lies which are perpetuated so many times that they become a reality of the person who constructs them and possibly of the ones around them too…

I know someone who lies a lot… This person lies to me, lies to everyone and even though some of the lies are believable, many are not… It really sickens me everytime I have to listen to this person lying… And sometimes I wish I didn’t have such a good memory so that I can just forget all the inconsistencies in the little tales that this person tells me… And I so wish that I can shut this person up one day and tell this person that I am worn out from listening to all these fantasies used to create this imaginary world and life which never will exist… Simply put: some things are just too good to be true… Life is *never* perfect…

Please stop lying… Cos I don’t think I will ever tell you to… I know it will hurt you too much…

it all comes tumbling down...

2007-04-10T04:56:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, 10th April 2007 – 6:44pm Singapore time

It’s the last English Language class for Dr. Ho Chee Lick today.

Good luck in Chinese Studies Dr. Ho!

It’s the last week of school (for this sem at least).

It’s the last day of me having long hair.

Rejoice, you anti-long hair people. ;p

not sure what i feel inside...

2007-04-09T09:56:00.000-07:00

Monday, 9th April 2007 – 11:16pm Singapore time

Hi Tharin,

I’m sending this email to inform you that I am withdrawing from the 10km race next Saturday.

This is because I have an exam from 1-3pm on that day and since the event kicks off at 1pm, I would not be able to make it for the race on time.

I apologise for any inconveniences caused.

Regards,
Asraf

Aaaargh!!

I was so looking forward to taking part in this race… And now I have to wait another @#$%-ing year! Why must we have exams on Saturdays?!! Why? Isn’t it supposed to be a NON-working day?

I am seriously pissed and disappointed….

In other news, I got back my Principles of Marketing report and presentation score… Our group was awarded 4.9/6 for the presentation and 10/12 for the report… I would say it was better than expected… Don’t feel like bitching about it any further… Not like there’s a point to bitch about it cos it’s over and done with… Like my chance to take part in the 10km challenge…

I also received an email with the grade of my Media, Discourse and Society presentation… Our group was awarded the A/A- range… Not bad I guess, but somehow my mood is still down…

Last week of school before exams start… Stress is at an all-time high…