THIS IS TOR

Do you know what else? At the Malaysian restaurants here, you can't have white chai dao kuei because they only have black chai dao kueh in Malaysia and they refuse to do a special one for me. Can life get any more miserable? Think about it. Can you imagine not having eaten white chai dao kueh for a year?

My obsession with proper, wholesome food is considered very strange here. And chai dao kueh is healthy compared to typical london food, which consists mainly of soggy sandwiches, greasy kebabs and MacDonald's. For some reason, the junk food here tastes a lot worse than in SG and the portions are also a lot smaller. (I tried a few fries in the name of research so that I can say I know what I'm talking about, despite my principled objection to MacDonald's.) Actually, most of the time people just don't eat. As in, they go to a pub straight after work for 'after work drinks', and then stumble home pissed at midnight (on a weekday). On weekends, dinner for most people my age means grabbing a burger while waiting in line to get into a club at 10:30pm. Before that, during the normal dinnertime hours (7-9+), everyone's at home or at another bar getting steadily more and more drunk, until they get thrown out of the bar and sober up in the cold night air. Then everyone stumbles around trying to find a club, perhaps stopping at an off-license to get more beer/alcopops in order to try and stay pissed while waiting in the queue to get in.

A weekend night in London is drunk people carousing around trying blearily to find a club 'they know is around here somewhere'. But don't get me wrong, I do go out, just to nice, non-sleazy places where one can have a drink with friends in relative comfort, hopefully without burning a hole in one's pocket. Urgh, I sound snobbish now. But what I really am trying to say is...

As I mentioned, no one actually has dinner properly here. My English friends are constantly amazed by the fact that I go to the supermarket and buy groceries like raw fish and meat, because it's usually pasta or microwave food for them. But then most of my classmates don't really live in London. They go home to their parents' houses in other parts of the country every few weekends and have proper food then (ie roast beef, meatloaf, typical ang moh food etc.). I, on the other hand, can't bloody go home whenever I want.

So I have to cook my own mee pok, laksa, etc. Did you know that a vital ingredient in mee pok is the pork lard? You know, the small crispy thing that no one eats because it is too fattening? Well, mee pok tastes like a pale shadow of itself when you don't cook it with that pork lard. And I can't bring myself to buy or make that because it is too fattening. Damn! Damned if I do, (cos it's fattening) and damned if I don't (cos it doesn't taste as nice).

People don't even have proper lunches! Everyone eats sandwiches at their desks and some may go out for a smoke and a coffee, but no one goes and sits down at a table and orders food. Since there aren't any hawker centres here, you can't do that without spending quite a lot of money at restaurants. And if you want a healthy option, there's only sushi, which costs quite a lot here (as it does in the rest of the world, even Japan. Except Union Square in New York though).

So to anyone who is thinking of studying/working abroad, I say, go to America! Go to Australia! Do not come to London/the UK. Because if you are a true Sgean, life will be quite miserable for you. Especially if you like white chai dao kueh.

I am very poor thing. Feeling very sorry for myself.

THIS IS TOR

From some angles, my bolster smells like chai dao kueh. I think I've been away too long. The other end of Bolbol smells like chui kueh.

The weather this morning suited my mood perfectly.

I stepped out of Geog lecture (Impacts of Rapid Population Growth in Developing Countries) and the sky was wonderfully overcast. I was just in time to catch that gorgeous pause, the almost audible sigh of the sky as it prepared to pour.

I want to stand on the roof, scream and shout and cry until there is nothing left of me, til the rain finally pounds that message home: you are nothing. You do not matter in the grand scheme of things.

what if what if what if

I have come to hate those words.

I feel blades eating into my flesh; spelling out that one letter I know so well, mine, all mine... and the blood runs in ruby rivulets down to stain my fair skin like ink on paper. Or maybe there is no blood? I am tired of thinking.

The lightning drowns out my rage but not the voices in my head that continue to argue and bicker and-

(Brought to you courtesy of my hormones, inferiority complex and that Unavoidable Thing Called Puberty)

Once again, with regards to the more recent London bombings, my sister (and my parents for that matter, since they went for her graduation; I expect she'll write about it) is perfectly fine as she/they are actually in France.

So don't worry!

For posterity's sake.

Today was a good day.

When you do something, it's better not to look back.

And now I don't quite know if I should have done it at all. One and a half years is a long time, for a teenager especially. A faint breath of what might have been, a quickening pulse. Then trying, trying! not to think so much.

This is why blogs are good.

Locked away into my memory files, in a separate drive. To be taken out and enjoyed, once in a while. That's all it will remain, I think. But I am grateful for it, and I am done being melancholic.

I just never knew it would hurt so much.

Of course I'm alive just busy
tell Mum and Dad not to worry
didn't respond to msg sorry
still adjusting to not having them here
weird to eat with Nanny and Auntie G for dinner
swear I'm doing work
have to send out reports to classmates
writing in point form for many many notes
(that are all over the place
running out of lecture pad)
going to have a packed weekend
geog field trip among other things
staying over at Farrer Sat night
more convenient
tell Mum and Dad to just enjoy themselves
and leave me to tear my hair out here
will make proper post maybe Sunday or whenever free

get out of my head out out damn-

TOR: Daddy says everything ok?

We had to physically restrain mummy from calling Glor to find out if she is still alive.

I too met Neil Gaiman two years ago on an autumn morning in the children's department of Harrods' book store. The staff were surprised to see so many people, none of them children, and some of them apparently dead. But being English, they didn't show it and even offered to take my dripping umbrella. This could have been because I was the most normal-looking person around. He signed my stardust hardcover for Gloria, and my endless nights for myself, I babbled some stuff about how he should go to Singapore and how my sister would be dying to meet him, and how he should try all the food because that's what I miss... then I realised I was talking about myself and not him. I'd completely neglected to mention even once that I admire and enjoy his work. The fact that I was there would have implied that but saying it's just common courtesy, isn't it?

Anyway what happened at yours, Glor?

Time for an abrupt change of subject: there have been bomb blasts all over London. This is a horrible and sad thing; many people are dead. Ever since 9/11, London has been holding its breath for a terrorist attack. No one knows if one had already been foiled but there is a sense here that it has finally happened. At this point, it's very easy to give into the paranoia that the Americans have gladly embraced, (and I myself being Singaporean, gave quick thanks that we still have a 5 kg bag of rice should there be a stampede to stock up,) but I hope that Londoners will not be sucked in. Every major world capital is subject to these dangers. I'm just lucky that I don't use the tube, at least not during peak hours. I was in bed the whole time and not travelling industriously on the tube so the whole 'incident' (what the Home Sec called it) passed me by.

So. I'm ok and not dead. That's 3 times in my lifetime that I've had to reassure people that I am not dead. I do live in interesting times. The first was when a girl with the same name as me died in a car`accident and they misreported in SG that shw was from LSE, the second was the tsunami when I was in Sipadan, and now.

Oh yah, THIS IS TOR and NOT GLOR if you haven't yet figured it out. It's so me to write about Neil Gaiman first, then the terrorist attack on London.

Wow. Just... wow. So he came, and went. Probably didn't spend even a week here.

Tsu and I got to Kino at nearly 4. We were rather far back in the queue. Which was quite a good thing, I say. We made a load of new friends, while waiting. By the end of it all, the 6 of us were a-pic-a-nicking on biscuits and water kindly donated by the lady in front (whom we obviously made friends with. Her name was Linda) who gave up when we were in the rut that was the Japenese novel section, I believe.

It seems that all of us knew each other, or had something to do with each other, however indirectly or obscurely. Primary school class/bus mates, seniors, neighbours... this country is too small. I can't decide if I like that fact or not.

We met up again for the borders signing, to get more stuff signed, and to just meet, of course! Who knew waiting in a queue would be such a wonderful experience, or that you'd meet such great people...

Elljay, YX, Mel, Angela! It's been fantastic. I'm so glad we met!

So we've promised to keep in touch and all that, contacts and addresses swapped. Sometimes I think that hanging out with those guys was more fun than actaully getting to the end of the line. And it's all Gaiman's fault, heh heh!

He's... tall. And looks exactly like how he does in pictures. And so awfully nice! The number of hours of signing he did! Fans like us do nonsense in the queue for the 6 hours that we wait but he meets person after person, signing continuously. And still relatively cheerful and oh so accomodating near the end.

Did I already mention he was awfully nice? My vocab has gone down the drian, I don't quite think I'd do justice to how it felt, meeting him (twice). And getting a hug made him feel more... real, somehow.

I have thus concluded that Gaiman should come here more often.

Really should have jotted down a post during the Queue but I guess I was enjoying myself too much. And that's it for my Gaiman entry, seeing how not all the memories in my head want to be copied out. And they're not something I'd ever forget.

I'm glad you're alright Tor..! *hugg

Might make post about what goes on in my head (and vocally wonder why my sister now ends sentences with "girl"), someother time. Mum's frantically trying to call you, why can't she get through your mobile?!

Aargh! Just met Neil Gaiman!! Not enough time to make a proper entry about the whole thing, will do after tmr.

So exciting!

Because I am bored and enjoy doing lists like this even when no one has asked me.

THIS IS TOR NOT GLOR. TOR of the injured leg. I got stung by a random sea plant which I incidentally am allergic to and now my leg looks like it is rotting. So I have to rest, stay indoors and read blogs. Wish I could put up a pic of my wound here. It is strangely fascinating, much like Glor's nail-less toe.

Total Number of films I own on DVD/Video

Not including those in SG.. only a very few since they are all burnt on DVD since I am too cheap to buy real one.

I have Team America! (Watch it!) Sixth Sense, Princess Mononoke, and Before Sunset.

The Last Film I Bought

JD gave me Team America.

Five Films I Watch A Lot/Mean a Lot to Me

1.Snoopy Come Home. I used to cry when I watched it. I used to watch it a lot. When I was 6-8.

2.Labyrinth. I thought David Bowie was very kewl but now he's just old and strange. I liked the part where she was in her house except she wasn't, because she was in the rubbish dump with the old woman!! That's when I first realised that there is a world inside your head and sometimes people forget.

3. Before Sunset is the best film I've seen in a long time. The chemistry between the two leads and the way the dialogue bounces around is delicious and causes you to go... aaargh I wish I was Julie Delpy!

4. David Copperfield's magic shows. I used to watch them a lot and they were very entertaining. I liked the one where he put a chicken's head on a duck's body and a duck's head on the chicken's body. And then they ran around the stage! So amazing! And the one where he romanced the girl by disappearing to the strains of 'Memory' from Cats. I really liked the song at that time but didn't know where it was from. I was about 10. Then, in Sec 2, I saw Les Mis and really got interested in musicals then.

5. Supersize Me. Because now I have facts and ammunition for my longterm boycott of MacDonalds and can easily explain to people why they are exploitative and hypocritical.

I have no one to tag. So sad. More about my leg later.

Because Kayce tagged me and I'm too damned lazy to do a proper entry. And he's right, I'm not even sure what I'll write. :P

Total Number of films I own on DVD/Video

Erm. Not many, am generally not in the habit of collecting them, either I want to watch them and see them in theatres or I miss them completely. But a few, I guess.

The Last Film I Bought

Bought or was given? Spirited Away, from Ed who got it in Malaysia.

Five Films I Watch A Lot/Mean a Lot to Me

1. Anything by Studio Ghibli. Because you can always depend on the fantastic art and superior storytelling. I mean look, Miyazaki even made Moving Castle a half love story thing and managed to pull it off without me wanting to pull out my teeth. And not all their movies end with a happily ever after, unlike Disney, and keeps you thinking about it for some time after. Tomb of the Fireflies and that tanuki I-can't-remember-the-name-of-it ones come to mind.

2. Toy Story. It was the first movie I ever watched in the cinemas (with my parents obviously). Wah, I remember that it was like some kind of expedition liddat, going out so late. And could only get popcorn because everything else was too ridiculously priced.

3. Anything by Tim Burton. I love his style and the odd ideas that he comes up with. Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorshands and Big Fish, how can anyone -not- love his movies?

4. Labyrinth. The film that introdued me, however indirectly, to a taste of the Sandman, since Morpheus was sorta kinda modeled after Bowie's Goblin king. In any case, the muppets were wonderful and it was a very good adventure indeed.

5. The LotR trilogy. Damn well made these films were, especially for something that was once said to be un-makeable. Plus I'm a fantasy junkie, 'nuff said.

Tag 5 People and Have Them Put It In Their Blog

In no particular order:
Jenny
Amanda
Rosie
Tora (even if I know what se'll put)
Schaz (because I want her to -write- something for once)

So it took me 2/3 of a carrot and half an apple to get through that. I sound like a horse don't I? Mum's home and is feeding me healthy stuff lah.

The toe is fine, for anyone who asks. Nail bed has scabbed over and half a cm of nail has grown out already. Had to get the whole thing removed because I'd left it for too long and was starting to grow in the wrong direction, that is, sideways. So the only way to solve that was to start growing the thing from scratch.

Went around flashing it to family during grandfather's birthday dinner last Saturday. As it turns out, none of them have ever seen a toenail removed. Okok, will stop being obsessed about toenail.

So it was a Big Guy's birthday cum father's day thing.

For the first time in years at my grandfather's dinner thing on Saturday we had a change in menu! Gasp! In addition to the usual chilli crab and shark's fin dishes and whatnot we also had bamboo clam (that I discovered I like quite alot) and lobster. I can see you fall off your chair, Tor! I've not really tasted lobster before but it's nice, I guess. Are you suppose to have to chew it alot?

Have just realised why I love my father. He doesn't throw me out of the house eventhough I'm an obnoxious bimbotic brat who thinks she knows everything. That and he willingly deals with idiots at work everyday to put food on the table and to send his children through school.

My life isn't that interesting to blog about, Tor. That's why I have irregular posts. Nothing's going on.

Really.

Removing a toenail really isn't that painful. The idea is, which makes that the only scary part. The doctor does inject your toe with anesthesia you know. Granted, it's not nice to hover on the edge of painkillers, keeping your foot up all the time to take the pressure off it. Nor is it alright for a friend to grab it by accident when you're sitting covered, on the couch in the fencing room. It is also a bad idea to be running errands around town 2 days after (see: birthday presents), still on antibiotics, with hormones heralding your period, running through your bloodstream.

It's alright, really. Not allowed to wear shoes for 2 weeks, the doctor said. By the by, it costs near a hundered dollars to take your nail out so please cut yours properly and not end up like me.

Gouged flesh is Not Fun. Needles aren't either.

On the other hand, I can't and am not allowed to fence. Can't lunge at the moment, even barefoot, not to mention, the whole foot is also target area for the epee. Having the risk of raw flesh being jabbed by the hard metal point of a weapon is really a very bad idea. But it is educational and entertaining to watch others free fence. It's also very good a spot to socialise with those whose turn isn't up yet. And for those who have gone already of course. You'd hear things like, "she kept on walking into my blade!".

Spent the day with Jenny yesterday. Long overdue and what better day to do it than her birthday? Hope you have a good one this year, and yes, I've passed on the msg.

It's not accurate Tor, I got something like 22. And we all know that I'm actually 8 years old, don't we? And how are things with Auntie G and the 3 copies of Mummy?

STILL TOR, NOT GLOR

I don't normally do these quiz thingies but I was so shocked by the result I thought I'd out it up for Glor's blog readers and Glor to read... The quiz is what age do you act?

You Are 31 Years Old

31 Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

Aargh!!! I can't believe I act that old! Could you take it and tell me if it's accurate? Am enjoying old chang kee currypuff at the moment, and pretending to study while I read blogs.

THIS IS TOR NOT GLOR

Writing this while waiting for the little star wars clip to load.

... Ok, watched it. That was really cute! I watched episode 3 last night and found myself enjoying immensely, apart from having to confer with Cat about who was evil and who was who and gagging at the incredibly 'romantic' romance scenes. 'It's because I'm so in love.' 'No, I'm so in love' 'You mean love has blinded you?' Urgh...

I disagree with all the bad reviews it got. I was with Ewan McGregor when he fought the cool robot-with-heart thing, and cheered very loudly when said thing exploded. Every scene was laden with dramatic irony! Along with the audience (most of whom were my friends. It was a late, late show) I shouted, no! don't turn to the dark side! during the anakin-turning-into-darth-vader scene. For people indifferent to the star wars phenomenon (like myself), who possess only a passing knowledge of the plot, this was pure pathos-filled entertainment, a good old fashioned celebration of the human condition. Just what films are meant to be. None of this pretentious bullshit about cute guys who go around shagging random models at photo shoots.

Now I have to go and watch the whole thing again. The last time I watched it was (I think) when I was small, during CNY in my grandmother's house in toa payoh, on tv. Glor, when was the last time we watched any of the Star Wars movies? I only remember the ewoks well because that was the point when our aunties/uncles at our grandma's house would point and the screen and say, 'see! cute bears!' And I'd be like, 'ya, so what?'

Pre-movie dinner conversation at our house:

Chris: I only remember the last scene in the last movie (episode 6) where the bears came out after the evil guy died.
Everyone else: We have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.
Me: Err, do you mean the ewoks?
Cat: What are ewoks? I don't remember.
Florian: No, they weren't ewoks. Ewoks weren't in the last movie.
Marc: Or were they wookies?
Cat: What are wookies?
Me: You know, the big furry furry things that go woarghorgh!

Hmm, I don't think the humour translates very well onto the page. Obviously we are all not star wars fans. It's very pleasant to find out interesting facts like how anakin really does turn out to be the chosen one! Facts everyone else knows but I didn't, and now that I've watched the movie, I can easily find out what happens next without knowing it from before! Haha! And what's more, I can easily talk about what happens in the end to people who haven't watched the movie and not be a spoiler, because they all know what happens anyway! Haha!

I must be a very sad and deprived person.

Surreal walking the deserted streets, through leicester square and covent garden market after the show. We all got free posters and v-zhing v-zhinged them around, squawking excitedly about our favourite parts of the film. Somehow, we were part of the scenery, along with the little piles of homeless people in the doorways, drunken yobs chanting 'Li-ver-pull, li-ver-pool, li-ver-pool!', and all the denizens of night-time central london. We were the cut-price late-night ticket student gang walking to chinatown to have supper, having come from dinner before the show. There's a melancholy beauty to be found in places which are alive and bustling with tourists during the day that shows itself at night, in the dark, alone, that has the quality of truth. We sat on the cobblestone road (carefully avoiding the patches of vomit of course) continued to v-zhing, v-zhing, and just breathed in the silence (punctuated by occasional screaming and crying of course). Simple pleasures.

...

Did you know that in the books, episode 7-9, Luke is somehow lured by the ghost of sidious and turns to the dark side too? (noooo! so sad!) but in the end, is converted back to the non-dark side by his son? I'm never gonna read those books cos that sounds like they ran out of ideas.

Oh! Don't watch hitch-hiker's. I hated the beginning, the title song, the end, the characters (I know we all have to PC now but have you ever imagined Ford Prefect as black? I mean, it's one thing to be inclusive and another to be totally un-true to the character in the book) I know Adams helped to write the screenplay but I'm sure he'd be turning over in his grave at some of the liberties taken. The ending! Oh! The ending! (The humanity! No-- I'm not going to say that. It's rather, oh! The non-humanity) Ok, you won't understand that unless you know the book and watched the film, and I won't tell you why I think it's completely missed the point in case you still want to watch it. Please don't.

I mean, I laughed. It was funny. But it was only funny because the lines were funny, and the lines are funny because the book is funny. The only good thing about the movie is the dialogue and narration. And of course the story. But not the end! And for some strange reason the makers totally missed out on some of the classic scenes in the book-- like they ignored the fact that the reason for the Heart of Gold's shut-down during the Vogon attack was Arthur's request for a cup of tea! Oh, I shan't go on, this is starting to sound pedantic.

The more difficult my work is, the less refined my entertainment tastes become. But all I'm asking for is a minimum level of clever/interesting plot, decent dialogue and really cool flinging people around via the force and lightsabres that go 'v-zhing, v-zhing!' OK. *shrug*

Everytime I think of the word wookie, I think of Khayce. woarghorgh!

Exams coming soon, this should be interesting. Will be slogging all through the June hols, interrupted by fencing prac. Which is muchly fun, I don't even mind getting up at 7 in the morn on a Saturday for it.

No, am not going away like as planned, anymore. Seeing as how with the exception of GP, all my papers are on the last week of June I obviously cannot go anywhere for obvious reasons. At this rate don't think will make it to London at all, oh well. We'll see how it goes, as usual.

Dear Ed is back~! Missed him awfully, but have only seen him once, so far. Will probably have coffee during June, I hope. Then we can talk about fencing too~

I miss RK, and everyone in my graduating year, for that matter. I do believe we really need to meet up for an RK coffee meeting one day. Bern could do with some more cheering up.

Which reminds me, I've nothing to wear for Camelot this Saturday...

Thanks so much for the essay outline, Tor! Very big help, wish me luck for the blasted exam!

Marc just sent this to me... it's the cutest Star Wars thing ever! The clip may take some time to load, but it's hell worth it, especially the ending shot!

@http://www.starwars.com/collecting/news/lego/rotb.html

(Random update written in school today.)

A breather during class, before extra econs lesson starts. Incessant drizzle (i.e. high storm intensity, contributing to higher infiltration rates) that's lasted from recess, making everyone relaxed. My previously overdue stuff for this week is all done, just need to focus on project work and econs test on Thursday.

Assorted collection of iPod shuffles being plugged into class speaker. Generally good tastes in music, my classmates have. Boulavard of Broken Dreams, Scar Tissue, among some other pieces I've not heard in a while. But when they started on the techno I decided to listen to my own stuff. Haven't yet decided, to promote Budak Pantai or not. Or that utterly ridiculous D&D song! On second thoughts, they wouldn't understand it, "I've got my twelve sided die and I'm ready to roll...". Have yet to find a gamer in this blasted school.

Oh! But have found other Pratchett reader, in CLB class! Think I've mentioned. Steffi's also anticipating Hitchhiker's! I know it's already out in other bits of the world (you shut up Tora.) and I don't know why it's taking so long to get here. Like Butrton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, opening here a month later than the officila release date. Oh well, at least it's coming here at all, unlike Mirrormask.

(Ooh, have to go for econs tuition now. Sometimes I wish I could blog in class...)

Ran 2.4 on Wednesday and passed, suprisingly. Fell down at some point though, so now have mild case of grass rash on left shin and knee as forgot to wash it off, was too damned tired.

School is good, but the workload is erratic. Sometimes it's alot then at others, it's even more. Good thing the hols are coming soon, then I can properly do up my notes and study for the exams. Especially my sorry, sorry Lit notes that are all over the place.

Aargh! I have to complain about my ridiculous Huxley tutor! She doesn't bloody teach during tuorials, just scolds us a lot. I hardly have any notes from her, dammit. Had to resort to photocopying Tsu's notes instead. Good thing I write cursive so I can read her handwriting.

Been hanging out with Tsu and Agustine (though not at the same time). Agustine's the only classmate I automatically gravitate to, not sure why. We don't have alot in common, but we just like each other's company.

Tsu on the other hand... is the only person I can comfortably be myself with, can rant about books and fangirl too. It helps when we know what the other person is talking about, which is usually not the case, with classmates. Us misfits must look out for each other, ne? She's currently letting me go through her comic collection, Fables in particular, written by Bill Willingham, and am indefinatly holding on the Arkham Asylum, that Grant Morrison wrote and Dave McKean illustated.

We see each other mostly at lectures we have in common, and of course, CLB class. Gosh, I love chinese classes so much now, we just go there and slack. And all the other peope are pro-CLB too! Then there's the other girl who reads Pratchett, Steffi, and that boy Benjamin, that Tsu is shamlessly pimpimg Fables to, who is borrowing it. It's just a group of random students coming together and having a breather during school.

Which reminds me, went to OCS last Friday, and got Fables confiscated by brother Paul for trying to bring it along. Got it back from him after though, with him calling me the 'girl who owned the weird comic'. Hah, wait till he meets Tsu. Was also shamelessly pimping it to him. Hey, no harm trying right?

Gah, then there's this boy I like. We've got much in common and I just love having conversations with him. Mm, I'll probably just leave it, like I always do.

Tor,

checked out James' watch. Turns out the watch shop in J8 doesn't stock Omega, so I've got to go down to town for it. I'll probably do it tmr, since I've got a dental appointment too.

I should go now, have school tmr. And a wretched Huxley tutorial.

Actually got around to writing the thing. It's something that I've always wanted to write, a nice short, one-shot thing, not about any particular anyone that could apply to nearly everyone. I hope you like it, if you decide to read it.

This is for Jenny, I hope it makes her feel better.

And for the one who makes me smile.


'Mm.'

She rolls over and presses into his arms, inhaling, and slides a leg over his waist. Then-

she realises it's only a bolster.

The female human lies there in the cold darkness, drawing the covers tightly around her, trying to grasp the last edges of the Dreaming, when the door creaks.

Someone climbs into bed and under the quilt with her. An arm encircles her from behind, ending with a hand clasping hers, over her breast near her heart. She feels warm lips against the back of her neck, feathery, then they pull away, only to nuzzle at her hair, making her smile. She snuggles closer.

Then there is stillness, and silence.

A strong gust of wind blows the curtains aside, making them flap, like wings. For an instant through half-lidded eyes, she sees their limbs, pale and motionless, entwined in the silver moonlight.

Then in the darkness, there might have been a soft voice, that might have whispered three words. Already asleep, she did not hear them, if there were anything to hear at all.

~

She stirs under the harsh morning light. Frowning slightly, she rolls over and presses into his arms, inhaling, and slides a leg over his waist. Then-

she realises it's only a bolster.

I really should start blogging again, shouldn't I.

There have always been things chasing themselves around in my head, more often then not they form on paper, during school when I've just got itchy fingers and time. Of these, some make it to the blog, but most just get consigned to the sheaves of Dead Lecture Pad one gathers over the years.

I'd meant to say something about Nick, because I sort of bumped into him in town earlier this week, when I was with Yenyi, and wanted to say something about IJ, as well as work on a small fic wossname thing that had been going round and wailing to get out. But I've lost it now, and not sure if a ghost of the thing is enough to bring it over.

Now my blank sheets of paper continually fill up with notes, charts and essays. I've worked through a full pad and not one piece has proper scribbles on it. Gosh, I've just realised that I don't even randomly dash down Inui's name anymore.

On the other hand, the stuff that I'm learning in school is actually quite interesting, even if it's not the sort of thing I'd generally like doing. There's only so much I can infer from a poem about a blasted flower that's sexually deprived. After a few of these kind of poems it gets a bit tiring (I'm doing Blake larh). But I do like reading, and that's that.

I'll get them written, one day. Somewhere.

Tor,

no, I'm not just being contrary because I can. It's there, if you position your mouse over "Ho!" my address will appear on your taskbar.

Got your e-mail, printed it out for Mummy, minus the bits I think she should not have seen, and forwarded the whole thing to Auntie G so she can get whatever for you.

Me a year ago: studying in IJ, fangirling in my free time, with Tora or Rosie. Being frantic about upcoming O' levels.

3 months ago: literally slacking at MI, the strange spikey haired girl at Starbucks, occasionally, in the morning.

Now: girl with ridiculously long CJ uniform, in slippers (see: ingrown toenail), quite enjoying the classes where she is.

Yup. That about sums up the recent changes in my life, in a very condensed way. This really makes me realise that it's not really how much time you have, but what you do with it that matters.

What I've done so far, with my life and the decisions I've made, I wouldn't change for the world. The funny situations I've gotten myself into, the choices of school and CCA, the strange friends I have, the even stranger hobbies I've been initiated into...

's all good.

Ha, I am on a bit of a quiz spree~

I Am A: Chaotic Good Half-Elf Ranger Druid


Alignment:
Chaotic Good characters are independent types with a strong belief in the value of goodness. They have little use for governments and other forces of order, and will generally do their own things, without heed to such groups.


Race:
Half-Elves are a cross between a human and an elf. They are smaller, like their elven ancestors, but have a much shorter lifespan. They are sometimes looked down upon as half-breeds, but this is rare. They have both the curious drive of humans and the patience of elves.


Primary Class:
Rangers are the defenders of nature and the elements. They are in tune with the Earth, and work to keep it safe and healthy.


Secondary Class:
Druids are a special variety of Cleric who serves the Earth, and can call upon the power in the earth to accomplish their goals. They tend to be somewhat fanatical about defending natural settings.


Deity:
Solonor Thelandria is the Chaotic Good elven god of archery and the hunt. He is also known as the Keen Eye, the Great Archer, and the Forest Hunter. His followers respect nature, and only hunt when needed, but are quick to defend the forest from intruders. Their favorite weapon is the bow, and they tend to be extremely talented with it. Solonor Thelandria's symbol is an arrow with green fletchings.


Find out What D&D Character Are You?, courtesy ofNeppyMan (e-mail)

Take the quiz at dicepool.com

You are the large, round, friendly d20! (You probably didn't know this, but the shape of the twenty-sided die is called an Icosahedron.) You are the friendly, outgoing, outspoken, leader of friends. You are often looked up to, even though you don't normally deserve it. Most other types secretly wish they were you, and you'd give them tips on how, if only you had a clue yourself. Your charisma is often all you need, but you have your occasional moments of brilliance as well--just never when it's actually needed. You are the all-around good guy, a dependable chum, a respectable foe, and an inspiration to those who need one. Who says you can't get by on a smile and good looks alone?

Si... Silicon You scored 51 Mass, 29 Electronegativity, 44 Metal, and 0 Radioactivity!

Interesting. Take a bunch of really common person-elements and throw them together to get something truely exceptional... that's you. You are probably someone that gave up on trying to understand society at large a long time ago. You don't fear it, but you don't try to be one with it either. You are more or less unperturbed by things... if a problem comes up you might deal with it, or you might avoid it... whatever. You don't take kindly to people pushing you around, and you don't really push anyone else around. You're probably the only one that can tame oxygen simply because you don't understand it's raging neediness, but that doesn't mean that you'll really enjoy having a tame oxygen hanging around all that much either. You can probably get along with people like yourself really well, but you aren't your own soulmate... if only they could make entire colonies of people like you you'd be stoked. Just like you don't understand society, society doesn't understand you... and yes that is my excuse for not knowing how to describe you better.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 84% on Mass You scored higher than 43% on Electroneg You scored higher than 34% on Metal You scored higher than 0% on Radioactivity

Link: The Which Chemical Element Am I Test written by effataigus on OkCupid Free Online Dating

Have just gotten nearly settled into new school, and class.

I generally like my new schoolmates, though they're not the sort of people I'd usually be friends with. Here we go again, that snobbish side of me rearing up again like during MI. But really, truly being friends with them is not worth the effort for me, why should I arrange my personality to suit theirs? As long as I'm nice to them, they're nice to me too, so I think I'll just leave it at that.

Trying to settle on a CCA is giving me grief. Band, astro and fencing were all on Friday afternoon, gah. Went for fencing in the end, think I'll end up joining that. Guitar orientation and fencing training clash on Wednesday though, haven't quite made up my mind about that yet.

Didn't bother to turn up for choir yesterday morning, it would mean that I'm under some obligation to join and I'm simply too damned sick of a being in an unrewarding performance arts group to do so. My mistake was putting my name down before I heard them perform, I think.

Read the papers this morning. The leader of our Roman Catholic church is dead, and the golden age of sci-fi has come to an end with the wrapping up of Star Trek and Star Wars.

I've never been particularly... devoted to my religion, but I've always thought that the Pope was extremely cool. He's one of the few people who have made an impact on the world, the sort of person who's going to go down in history books and be remembered, not just for what he was, but also who he was. We mourn the passing of a great man.

Gah! No more Star Trek! No more anticipating a new Star Wars movie! I'm not a particularly huge fan of either (perhaps with the exception of Voyager), but I've always enjoyed the genre. Always wanted to properly get into Star Trek, perhaps one day I will.

I really am quite upset with these recent events, along with a few more that's none of my business to blog, but I am Gloria Ho and I will let go, quit whining and deal with it, because I know there's more to come.

Change is inevitable, and we must adapt with the world.

You know you've been away too long when your dinner conversations with other Singaporeans go like this:

"It's quite worth it, the hokkien mee is only £6 there"

(Remember that it's £1=S$3)

"The laksa's alright, as good as laksa can get without harhm"
"Oh yes, you can't get harhm in london anymore because those chinese immigrant cockle pickers died in that flash flood in Dorset."
"Yes, what a pity... laksa's not laksa without the harhmy taste."
"And tau pok! Here they seem to not understand that tau pok is essential!"
"I totally agree. You need an intermediary between the gravy and your tastebuds sometimes."
"Yes! It facilitates consumption of the sauce and diminishes the jelak effect!"

"Did you know that in hawker centres they are starting to angmohgrify dessert names?"
"Like how?"
"Chendol de durian... and yam soup"
"What the hell is yam soup?"
"Bo bo cha cha"

So you have an elite group of SG scholars (excluding me of course) sitting around the dinner table being suaku about Greek food and woefully mispronouncing the strange consonant-filled names, missing local food like mad and trying very very hard to pretend we know what we're doing. If only we'd gone to Malaysian kopitiam like I suggested! But then we'd be paying like S$18 for a plate of nasi lemak/char kway tiao/hokkien mee that will invariably fall short of the real thing and going against our deepest 'value for money' instincts honed by many years of not going to the hawker stall that sells chendol for $2.20 but to the one that sells it for S$2 instead even if it is at a totally different hawker centre altogether.

See, you don't even find it strange. That's cos you're singaporean and that's the kind of thing we do. Instead we'd rather pay £20 to have 'exotic' Greek food and eventually find that we don't like it after all. Khayce, take note. The debilitating effects of being deprived of favourite foods for long periods of time is the most traumatic aspect of being away from home. I can't overstate this. Am going to attempt to cook bak kut teh tomorrow for lunch. Will report back on results. (People who say hah! I can cook that-- face it, have you tried?) (except my grandma)

In case I've given you the idea that my Sgean friends in London are a sad bunch, let me assure you, we do more than just go out and makan together. We also travel to exotic destinations to go out and makan together. As well as engage in stimulating conversation about the casino referendum and straits times making us pay for online access and What the Health Minister Said About Gays-- and on that topic, the new gay sauna bar that's just opened across the road. In case this sounds kinky, yes, it is. It's funny how you become ten times more aware of local politics and news when you have to defend your country against narrow-minded liberals who have never been there, take The Economist as gospel and are looking to score easy points by comparing it against their own democracy.

Yeah, we are kinda sad.

On that note: I am going to Washington on Sat! So exciting! It will be very very interesting when we meet the NUS team and the Malaysian team and the Canadian team. (As I've said elsewhere in this blog, the UK JEssup team is comprised of 2 Singaporeans, 1 malaysian, 1 Canadian and 1 Brit.) For cultural night we were thinking of going as 'oppressor and oppressed' in a subtle political statement on Prince Harry's gaffe at a recent 'colonial and native' themed costume party attended by the hoi polloi of English society, held the day before Auschwitz commemoration day-- he came in a Nazi officer's uniform. Do you think anyone will get it? Or maybe we could more charitably term ourselves 'commonwealth'. (as julian suggested) Talk about foreign talent. Meet the team.

Julian: "Dude! Awesome!" (kancheong spider)
Jim: "Capitalism is harmful to your health." (kiasee)
Rich: "Chillax." (boh chup)
Preeti: "Victoria, I need to speak to you about your argument." (kiasu-literally can't lose an argument ever)
Me: "Wah lau." (yau kwee)

Guess which is which. (And our personalities all fit into stereotypes! Just like in the Mr Kiasu comics! Yes, I sadly used to read those.) We were too bored on the plane to Aberdeen and had to find a way to amuse ourselves. I gave Rich a quick run down on Sg geography, economy, politics, cultural stereotypes, lifestyle and food. I added that the fact is we may get roundly thrashed by NUS soon, 4-time winner of the international rounds out of more than 100 teams. They are genuinely feared. SGeans, be proud of NUS. It is a very good uni and I think many Sgeans don't realise this. They are 18th in the world Uni rankings! LSE is just 11th. Oxford and Cambridge are 5th and 6th. Top is Harvard.

Aargh. Am leaving tomorrow and haven't packed yet!


TOR

First day of school today.

CJ is alright, made a grand total of 1 new friend. Name's Nadia, very nice girl who seems to be the friendliest in my group. But then again, have not exactly gotten to know my group yet, so yarh.

Applied for a Literature and Geography class, if I don't get in will be chucked into a combi with History instead. And I haven't touched that subject for years, so I hope it doesn't kill me. Also seems to have a problem with CLB, so have to bring all sorts of official looking letters tmr to clear it up.

Haven't got any sort of timetable for the next week, and orientation is going to be spread out over 5 days. A bit long, but hey, am not complaining. I'm located very conveniently near home, town, the Lim residence, Comic mart and a straight bus to Thompson too. Yes, it all seems very game oriented, but that's not going to happen, seeing how that lot have to work in the afternoon.

Since I've a memory like a sieve, I can't remeber what I wanted to blog, so will do it some time later lah.

Oy, Toria. Mum says to take care yarh? You going to Washington and all.

Made it to CJ!

Hope I make friends there.

Haven't blogged in ages, been busy.

On thursday, had Schaz's birthday cum bodycount thing. The food was done by Bern, cooked on the spot was... the sort of food good enough to dream about. The whole thing was very enjoyable really, especially the bit where we blasted Avenue Q.

Wen was kind of swamped during the game, and I co-GMed a bit. Was guided throught the technical bits, so was ok. Think I'll run an RP in another few years or so though (is not Schaz...).

It seems that every Saturday, I forget to bring down my choir scores. Mm, they've added a new song or two, I noticed during mass. Ah, who needs scores, just wing it larh.

Urgh, so angry! IJ having holiday this Thursday, in celebration of the good O level results. What's the point if we're not there to enjoy it, sheesh. I don't recall having one last year either.

Posting results out tmr, will be camping out in front of computer, in anticipation. Might do some writing here, while waiting in the wee hours of the morning. Do hope I get into CJ, will have to report to aforementioned school on Wednesday.

Tor,

Oh what a pity it is then, that Ed will be in Sg by that time... was so looking forward to spending time with him in London.

In any case, yes yes, we will go forth and seek adventure and exciting things without you, not to worry. Just joking.

Auntie G's going to send you an e-mail by Wednesday, to your lse account, covering the details for our trip ie. arrival and departure, and whatever else she got as a bonus at the travel fair. What's been confirmed so far though, is that I'll leave London on the 24th, and Auntie G and her friends the 17th, I think.

My exam timetable is really crap! I won't be done until the 7th of June! So you will be wandering around London while I sadly sit in the library mugging! Since you are coming on the 29th of May, it means you will have to entertain yourself for 10 days. That's a long time for London so I suggest you visit Paris too, in that time. You should stay there for 3 days if possible-- there's a lot to see and will be beautiful in summer.

A very stressed TOR.

Have been down with a lungful of phelgm for nearly a week.

It's hampering my singing. I try to execute a simple descant part and the strain of it is killing me. I know this is an egotistical comment but yes, I do like to hear myself sing and do it quite often. You know the times when you've just finished school and you're walking home, there's no one much around and the environment is just perfect for singing... now you open your mouth and you just can't let go, like you always can.

Could.

The worst bit about it all is that it's all my damned fault. For not taking care of my own health, for keeping late nights.

I think I shall go try hack up my lungs now.

Erm, am not exactly supposed to be home right now, but left school early as was not supposed to be there either. I know that didn't exactly make sense, but yeah.

Since I had Richard clean up the C drive, the machine's been so much easier to manage, now I haven't got strange icons of unknown origin anymore, so have been on the com for an hour or more since I got back, tinkering with new music conversion programme.

It's easier to find and arrange my music now, which means I'll have much nonsense on my mp3 player in months to come. The stuff that I've not been able to plug in, Dir en Grey, Gackt, Adagio, Budak Pantai... what's missing would only be the musicals Victoria brought over to London. Mm, I do miss Webber. Wonder if I can do any burning over in London...

Have been absent on the LiveJournal role-play site. Will pop by to poke around soon, I do miss the candid situations and the sheer fun of playing off each other's characters. Not to mention the nosebleeds.

Hey Althea~! Thanks, you too. Shouldn't we meet up one of these days?

Miss you too Jenny! *hugg

Congrats to you too Justin. Even if we're not off to the same school we've to keep in touch, ne?

Yes Amanda, will see you 3 on Wednesday? Mm, will have Pullman's His Dark Materials for you. And/or Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide... let's see how much I feel like carrying with me larh.

Hallo Cass. Yes, will see you around, probably.

Am sleepy. Think I'll go drink some milk then drop into bed and try not to sleep in side of head with pierced cartilage.

This is not Gloria. And I'm not saying this is an effected post-modern Matrixy kind of way. I am really not Gloria. That's because I am TOR, of the Bolbol fame.

I am writing this in a somewhat disturbed state. There is wailing under my window. Yes, wailing. Not a cat yowling or children screaming kind of wail, but a low creepy moan born of real despair and anger. It is scary. It is reminds me of a surreal scene in horror movie where the people in the house are trapped without knowing it. The zombies are coming and they can smell your sweet human flesh! Like Night of the Living Dead. Which is more creepy in black and white than you would imagine it to be. Sometimes I really don't like living in London.

Luckily, I have Bolbol. Also, I have a bar of dark chocolate and a cup of soya bean milk. And a big glass mineral water bottle from Norway which I can use to defend myself, if necessary. Dao huey chui is more comforting that you suppose it to be. Accompanying me is a huge assortment of dustmites crawling up my nose this very instant as I've just vacuumed up a few hundred by sniffing my bolster. Not to mention their carcasses and shit. Hmm... tickly. Somehow the thought is less scary than the zombie people outside breaking in and eating me. I suppose I'd better wash Bolbol. I am not mad.

And speaking of not being mad, I just wrote this in my philosophy essay:

In Popper’s philosophy, all laws or theories are conjectural, or guesses, and one can never justify their truth empirically. In this regard he agrees with Hume. The implication of this sceptical conclusion, as stressed by Russell, is that all knowledge is of the nature of irrational belief, such that ‘there is no intellectual distinction’ between a sane man and one who ‘believes he is a poached egg.’[1] Popper counters this with the argument that the ravings of the lunatic can be refuted deductively by experience and that it is rational to choose the best-tested theory (he is a man) when there are competing theories (he is a man or he is an egg). Thus his method boils down to one of choice, and does not claim to be able to justify the truth or certainty of hypotheses.

Don't you wish you had a chance to ever write 'he is a man or he is an egg' in an essay? So actually in philosophy being mad and sane is the same. Isn't that nice?

I am so relieved. The endless mugging for the O's, finally paid off. From a 32 to an 18, all that panic for nearly nothing. The freaking out at Mrs. Ho's office, on the phone, in the hall itself... but freaking out is healthy (to an extent), I suppose.

Looks like giving 4 years to band wasn't such a bad idea after all, even if it did eat my life out. Don't think joining another time-consuming CCA at CJ is such a good idea though, even if the choir seems very tempting, looking at how accomplished it is.

Or perhaps I should go there and do what they have at RJ, that is, set up a gaming group...

It pays to have kender blood. After all the stress and running around, I think I'll still stay up til tmr. Mm, adrenaline.

Got a couple of things to do... burn all stuff out of com as it needs to be sent for reformatting, apply for CJ, mostly admin stuff. And have to stay up to watch Trainspotting so that I can return the disc.

Hallo Adam, thanks for the concern. You take care, I'll see you in church..?

Results are out!

English - A2 (this is ridiculous. Yes I am Upset at this mark.)
SS/Lit - B3
Geography - B3
E Math - B4 (damn this, I was expecting a 3, at least. Must have altered the grade requirement because the paper was quite easy.)
Phy/Bio - B3
PoA - B3

And I passed Chinese. 18 points in total, deduct 2 for CCA (that I got A2 for) and 2 for affiliation and I should get into CJ quite comfortably.

Am satisfied. Will write proper some other time.

THIS IS TOR:
Just came here to moan... I need KC's email to so that I can moan more privately to him too. Although we won the national championships I'm starting to think thet it may have been better if we hadn't won. Moan moan etc about amount of preparation to be done and forcibly abandoned ski trip. Darn! I can't go skiing in the Austrian alps because I have to represent the UK in the international rounds in Washington. Aargh arrgh. This is the same competition that NUS has won more times than any other team. And they have a coach who just so happens to specialise in the same topics the moot problem is on. Wah lau. It's not cos the rest of the world is just no competition but that NUS is really really really good. They have a special course that prepares them for this moot.

And now our coaches and my other team mates are hell bent on making it to the very top. Eurgh is the only thing I can say-- I do have a degree to study for. I wonder if I will be conflicted out of competing with NUS, if it comes to that...?

Victoria,

Mum's been bugging for me to drop you a couple of msges. Driving me crazy (as usual) so here goes...

-Why didn't we call you yesterday? Mum said she thought you were still in Scotland for that Jessups thing. By the way, congrats on winning it!

-Have sent off James' parcel diving equipment regulator whatever thing, to his place in Australia. Has he got it yet?

-Got the parcel you sent me. Thanks so much, you always know what to get me!

Hallo stranger, glad that you like what you see. Do you have a journal yourself, that I could visit too? And how did you find me anyway?

Came across a musical recently, one that Victoria brought back the other time. It occurs to me that I've never posted song lyrics here. Probably because I've not really found many song lyrics very meaningful.

Hands touch, eyes meet
Sudden silence, sudden heat
Hearts leap in a giddy whirl
He could be that boy
But I'm not that girl

Don't dream too far
Don't lose sight of who you are
Don't remember that rush of joy
He could be that boy
I'm not that girl

Ev'ry so often we long to steal
To the land of what-might-have-been
But that doesn't soften the ache we feel
When reality sets back in

Blithe smile, lithe limb
She who's winsome, she wins him
Gold hair with a gentle curl
That's the girl he chose
And Heaven knows
I'm not that girl

Don't wish, don't start
Wishing only wounds the heart
I wasn't born for the rose and the pearl
There's a girl I know
He loves her so
I'm not that girl

- Wicked, the musical: 'I'm not that girl'.

Settled the matter, couldn't have asked for better results. Another memory for the photo album of my life. I feel like a satisfied cat right now, complete with the head patting.

*stretches and smiles*

Amanda dear, we'll get that done when you finish work? Looking forward to it!

Thanks Toria, wish you were here for it!

Hallo MI people. Am not even going to try guessing who you are...

Tora~! *glomps* Thanks, miss you loads! Oh, and about the Naruto scanlations, I can't seem to send it to you, so have asked Schaz to send instead. If that fails then will get Wen to do it, since he's got everything till 37 or something.

You stay happy too, Gaby... thanks for dropping by.

Quid pro quo, King Kong. I'll tell you where I've been, if you tell me who you are? Why'd you want to know anyway?

Thanks for giving a damn, Orion. I've no idea when yours is either?

All done fine, Khayce. Oh, and have new friend for you to meet this Saturday. She's sitting in for VtR, Richard says it's fine. Bern (that's her name) loved Bodycount Thursday, so what will she think of actual role playing?

To you: Thanks, for everything.

My life has been turned upside down, within a week. This is ridiculous.

I am a teenager, even if I'd like to think that I don't act like one (not all the time, anyway). Something has been brought to my attention recently and believe that I should deal with it the way it should be handled, with care and awareness of all consequences. But I want to be the child that I am and just do what I want to do, to satisfy my own needs, or my own lust in this case.

God help me, I thought it was a done deal by Sunday... have I made a mistake with my recent actions? I had hoped not, despite warnings from one whom I trust. She has spoken of it for ages long... and only now do I learn the hard way.

Many things hinge on the events of tomorrow, the best results being that we come to a peaceful understanding. Worst case scenario, me being scarred for life perhaps. I don't really want to think about it. Playing it by ear seems like the best course of action now.

I don't have time for this.

To whom it may concern: it's not about barriers, it's about- what is it all about anyway? I'm so sorry to have started it all.

THIS IS TOR

Top questions I hate people asking me in making conversation:

5. What kind of law?

When I tell them. they go blank anyway. I know they're hoping I'll say something fun like criminal or family... since that's what girls do, right?

4. So, whereabouts in Singapore are you from?

I had a lecturer who said, hey, I was brought up in Singapore. Where in Sg are you from? And I'm thinking, if I say Bishan, that would just embarrass you cos you have not the slightest idea where that is. So I said, Bishan. And he said, oh... That's nice. I'm from Terlok Blarng-Arh.

3. So, what language do you speak in Singapore?

Ugh. This is Britain, our former colonial masters.

2. Do you speak English?

Ugh. This from a customs official. I just blinked and waited for a long time to see what he would do. Then he flipped my passpart and discovered what exactly I was doing in his country. [Planning to steal his pathetic job along with all the bloody illegal immigrants here, of course.]

1. So, what's your real name?

Aargh. What was I to do but laugh and down my Foster's? No prizes for guessing where this knob was from.

Am to be 17 soon, next week actually. Which means... birthday wishlist.

1. Earphones with a decent bass (my current ones are crap, they came with the player)
2. Black, collared short-sleeved shirt (to wear over my indecent... pieces of cloth)
3. Wallet that cannot pass off as a brick, prefably one of those slim leather ones (it's possible to stun a burglar with my current one)
4. Multi-purpose plain stud earrings
5. Black, liquid eyeliner
6. Black, plain sports sandals (sport shoes can get tiring)
7. Black, reversible belt from Giordano
8. Spirited Away DVD, Japanese dub with English subs (my favourite movie)
9. Return of the King official soundtrack
10. Someone to come over to my house to teach me how to convert songs to mp3 format to plug into my player, dammit
11. Coffee with RK
12. Kino voucher
13. A hug

So like that larh. Or you can get me anything you think I'd like, which should be quite easy.

Had Justin and Alex meet Ed and Gee today. Needless to say, they get along just fine. Now they know why I always wax lyrical about my other friends. Generally find that having my friends meet my friends is usually a very good thing, for some reason.

Am too damned tired to do a full entry today, might blog next week?

Tora~! *glomp* nice of you to drop by. Well, bury yourself in a good book and carry your player around with you, should be rather effective. I should know.

Yes, coffee Rosie. Shall we arrange it on Valentine's day? You working?

I am in Singapore, Althea. That was my sister posting, you should know that by now! Ok, are you free after the new year week? I'll give you a call larh.

Jenny, yeah. Ouch! Oh the wax, it's dripping. I like it between my-

Khayce, is it me or does all this reservist business sound quite ridiculous? Erm, you don't have to do anything for my birthday, really.

Tor,

what you could get me? Erm, books again I guess. Can't go wrong with that right? I'll think about it lah.

Eh, remember the coduroy pants Auntie G got for us from Giordano? Do you have my pair? I can't find them larh. And several pairs of your jeans mysteriously appeared in my closet?

Now I can't wait for June lah! Won't tell them anything, and will go read up on that bit of the world. Paris, Venice, Italy, Spain. Will need to meet up with Ed and Paul as well.

Ok. First milk, then sleep. G'night.

Further to my earlier email I wanted to say, I can even take you to New York with me if we play our cards right and if you want to come. Try and convince Mummy and Daddy to let you come alone. And let me know what you wanna do so I can look into what's feasible. Obviously don;t tell mummy and daddy.

Finally have got a bit of spare time to myself and thought I'd check up on my sister's blog and all the denizens of her mad world. Or all the mad denizens of her world.

It's literally freezing here-- I understand why people wear ski masks to keep their faces warm now. Gotta get myself a pair of earmuffs too. It's like every inch of exposed skin leaches the heat out of your whole body. And I'm going to Scotland in a couple of weeks. In the middle of bloody winter. When the wind starts in the Arctic and sweeps down the Russian Steppes, gathering frost and snow and ice and ends by billowing across the barren moors and bleak fields. Think Macbeth. Think Wuthering Heights. I am going there. Bleargh! Not nice. Still, it's meant to be a big party too.

Yesterday we, the LSE jessups team, had a nice little chat with our Professor (actually it was mostly him talking and making jokes and me being expected to laugh politely). Interestingly, he was brought up in Singapore. And as the introductions progressed, it became apparent that 3/4 of the team had some connection with our fair city. There are 2 Sgeans, 1 Malaysian who was brought up in Singapore, 1 Canadian who having spent 3 years in Singapore, now says 'wah lau' with conviction, and an English guy who now knows how to say 'wah lau' like a true blue. Wouldn't it be funny if we really made it to the finals in Washington and if we came up against the Singapore team? The organisers probably wouldn't be able to tell us apart!

Other news: Gloria's birthday is on the 8th of February! Don't forget in all the CNY rush. I'll probably be improvising a steamboat over here-- we'll use a rice cooker to keep the broth boiling. How sad we are, lonely little chinese people in a strange and foreign land! Argos (like Tangs in SG) does not have steamboats we can buy then deviously return the next day saying that we don't want it anymore-- a perk of the western idea of being able to return clothes, consumer durables and other useful things you sometimes need but don't want to buy and store, eg. champagne glasses.

But of course I don't do that. I return them a week later.

Last night was Australia Day. Having a good friend who had a good friend over from Sydney, not to mention an aussie boyfriend, I had to go out and see what the fuss was all about. You see, while national day in singapore is an excuse to laze around the house, catch up on some much needed sleep or online entertainment or reading of the non-academic sort, watch the parade and alternately scorn or revere the LKY weepy speech according to political bent, look out for the planes and the flag and the fireworks, then have a good dinner and go to sleep,

in London, Singapore National Day is wearing red and white and going to a park (since it is a nice summer day in august) where many other singaporeans are already drinking canned tau huey chui and the occassional illicit tiger for the boys and red wine for the matrons. It is standing still for the national anthem and saying the pledge and secretly thinking what a wanker you look like except other people are deadly serious about this. Ok don't laugh. These are the future leaders of Singapore, man! They are your civil servants, your teachers, your policemen, your future politicians, all only in London for a short stint before returning to loyally serve you people! You should be damned relieved that they are taking their patriotism very seriously!

National day in London is eating slightly sub-standard curry puff that tastes like heaven although it is potato mush instead of chunks of potato, exchanging cooking tips with other singaporeans, and watching Kenny unsuccessfully trying to wrangle a part time job from a lady he just found out runs an extremely profitable and well known real estate business. It is a 'net-working' avenue, although I find the way Sgreans explicitly say 'I am here to network' quite disturbing.

Australia Day in Australia is, apparently, going to the beach/bar/someone's house to party and drinking yourself silly. Until you make a technicolour pavement pizza or ralph or throw your voice which means in SG, to merlion. Which is what they do every weekend anyway.

Australia Day in London is a completely different affair. For one, the patriotism in the air is palpable, not in a sombre 'Singapore made it so far with so little, we are so proud' way but in a 'Happy Australia Day mate! Yay! Woohoo! VB! Ralph!' way. Many people wore T-shirts with the flag on them and even had little aussie flags painted on their faces. I cannot imagine the same happening in a singaporean bar on national day. The bar was awash with various local aussie brews which I sampled at first with trepidation then with less and less inhibition until I, as well, was singing along to such perennial favourites as Stand By Me, Losing My Religion and Time of Your Life, putting my arms around complete strangers, and cheering the aussie atheletes on the screens all around. If there are 3 things that define australians, they may be devotion to sport, beer, and affinity for stopping in the middle of conversations to shout out lyrics of the chorus of a song. No, I did not hear anyone sing waltzing mathilda, although I expect if someone had started you wouldn't be able to stop the whole crowd. No, I did not know that Stand By Me was a song you could sing along to in a pub either.

I loved it.

So did Cecely, my BBC (to the uninitiated, British born chinese, which is what english honkies here call themselves) friend and her ABC (aussie born chinese, apparently) friend up from Sydney on a holiday, and my ABV boyfriend too. Do you know that if we are to follow this acronym we would be called SBCs, Singaporean born Chinese?

Living here does have its bright spots sometimes. Although I really really really miss old chang kee curry puffs! A lot!

PleasAnt Gloria, not Pleasent! Please tell me you knew that.

Ooh, haven't been posting huh. Busy with school and all, yes I actually bother to pay attention and learn something. Have to listen to lectures as normally don't do homework. Hanging out with the MI bunch quite a bit (it's school what) and am starting to get quite comfortable with them, though am missing the RK. Coffee meeting is in order, ne?

Actually, had a decent conversation with Andrew today, when a whole bunch of us went to the swings near Veronica's place after school. Unlikely person, unlikely conversation. But pleasent indeed, wish I had more friends like him. The sort you don't really know, but can have coffee with anyway. They're the sort of people whom I'd think would not want to be friends with me, but then again I like to think that I can think, too.

Today had its downs though.

Never in my decade worth of school have I ever had a teacher as infuriating as the Econs teacher here. I clearly remember Mrs Kunna, and that patronising tone she would use for students who thought too far ahead in her lessons (Or thought at all, come to think of it...). Taking the effort to smile and nod dumbly put me in a bad mood for the rest of the day.

With this woman, it's like that all the bloody time. She treats us like kindergarden students. As such, if one treats me in such a manner I am compelled to act that age, by flinging my brick wallet, or worse, my phone, at the stupid woman.

As I sat in school with the (now) usual bunch, I realise how much I've turned into a teenager. Grudges against teachers, spending break time oogling at boys (well, they are nice to look at) and general angsting.

Am not sure what to make of it.

Althea~! Hair is quite growing out now, but obviously still quite short, even if not spike/mess-able anymore. You'll see it larh, eventually. Take care too, haven't seen you for ages!

Drama indeed, Amanda. Equilibrium in life and all that, I know... thanks for the reminder as quite needed it. How are the books coming along?

Been ok lah, Mavis. Got net connection again or what? Take care, don't let schoolwork get you down.

Am trying to call you right now, Jenny. But line is engaged, will chat later tonight, perhaps?

Hallo Khayce~! How long more are you going to be in there ah? How come you got computer access also? What exactly do you do in camp anyway?

I swear my life has been copied and pasted from a book. These damned things that've happened in the last few weeks, like from soap opera like that larh?! And one can tell when am really annoyed when self starts to use Singlish but at least am still amused enough to be laughing about it.

Those damned things that happen in stories really happen, and are liable to happen to anyone, even a poor sod like me, wah lau. Nevertheless, I Am Annoyed. It's the whole teenager thing, you know? The sort that nearly everyone gets caught up in, unfortunately.

Ever since school started, I've been trying to act like the teenager that I am now. It's getting tiring and I just want to settle back to the book-reading nerd in the corner I've always been. Good thing I've not worked through the pile of books on loan from Nick, yet.

We've cleared it up and have had the sense not to do any bitch-slapping, so to speak, so s'all good now. Though I can't help but feel that there are going to be remnants of it all, on my part.

That's a scarily accurate way of looking at it, Jamie. I do think about IJ quite a bit now actually, but we must all change and move on, or what is the point, no?

An Average Day in the Life of TOR (In London)

7:02am

Wake up with the sense that it is actually 10am. Get up and turn lights on only to have them short circuit on me. Try lights in bathroom only to find that they are probably on the same shorted out circuit. Barge quietly into flatmates Cat and Florian's room to get to fuse box. Reset fuse.

7:06am

Smell Bolbol.

7:12am

Get out of bed and grudgingly start work on Jessup statement of facts again. Type half-heartedly while hanging on to Bolbol.

10:35am

Finish typing and save. Look up at clock to realise one has lecture at 11am. Run around the house in underwear unpacking bags to look for various personal items.

10:56am

Leave for uni.

11:00am

Lecture followed by class.

1:00pm

Have lunch with JD, Leila, Qianru and Clive at Belgo. Bounce excitedly with schoolgirl glee at seeing friends again! Eat nice chicken with mushroom and cream sauce which cost S$20 and drink Trappist ale. Buy toilet paper and orange juice from Sainsbury while continuing to chatter excitedly to friends. Hang out with friends in delinquent fashion.

4:40pm

Realise one has lecture at 5pm. Rush in panic to uni in cold rain. The kind of rain where it is too windy to carry an umbrella and the raindrops are small and close together. Wind spatters small small raindroplets into face, rendering useless hoodie thing on head.

5:00pm

Lecture.

6:00pm

Jessup meeting.

8:16pm

Dinner. Rice and vegetable katsu curry from NTUC. Mmm. Wash up and chat to Cat and Florian.

9:32pm

Write blog entry on sister's blog. Email boyfriend who is 10,120miles away (according to SIA airmiles accrual calculator).

9:52pm

Surprise call from boyfriend! Miss him. Hug Bolbol instead.

10:07pm

Go to sleep.

Have quite settled into new school, Millennia Institute (MI for short). Made a whole bunch of new friends and feel very odd hanging out in such a large group of teenagers. On the bright side, they really do seem like interesting people and am going out with them after school pretty much every other day. They're nice (with exceptions, of course) , and am happy to be making friends so fast in new school.

On the other hand, the school song here is rather, erm, propaganda-ish. Like the songs you sing on national day. And the tune is horrible too, am miss IJ a quite a bit.

Speaking of IJ, met a girl masquerading as an IJ girl. Apparently, she borrowed the pinafoe from a girl, from IJ TP no less. It got me strangely annoyed, as have never been the patriotic (?) sort. I can't explain it, but it just seems offensive when someone does not sound, act or carry herself like an IJ girl yet pretends to be one. At least she was apologetic about it.

Urgh, school. Have been keeping funny hours, a leftover from the hols. Am falling sick now, with cough and fever.

Victoria's gone back to London already, arrived at about 6 in the morning, Singapore time, I think. Shan't miss her too much though, will be going there in June. Can't wait!

Wow, been so busy that tags have built up.

Yes she did, Stephanie. Thank you very much for it.

You're welcome Rosie, provided that I'm home lah. Which is only in the evenings, nowadays.

It's no problems Amanda dear. Friends are there for a reason and am always at your disposal.

Hallo again Adam. Nice to see you as well, how's everything been with yourself?

Will only be able to make it for games in the afternoon, Khayce, you know that. But will make an effort to see you guys more this year lah.

Hey yourself, Peter. Well, it's not amazing, seeing as how you can find pretty much anyone online in this day and age. It's fine, just as how I remember it. You want me to bring it this Sunday?

Don't we all, Jenny! How's school coming along, for that matter? Don't kill yourself ok? Drink lots of water and try not to fall sick, like me.

An Average Day in the Life of TOR (On holiday in Singapore):

9:33am

Wake up. Sniff Bolbol. Hang out with and chat to grandmother downstairs. Ask her how to make 'smore'.

10:01am

Go for a run on track behind house and continue to Bishan Park. Nod to old aunties vigorously swinging arms while walking. Swear to oneself not to eat chocolate or fried fatty stuff for whole year while acknowledging impossibility of resolution.

10:45am

Convince onself that self has run 4km and cool down by stretching. Shower.

11:00am

Smell Bolbol.

11:05am

Go out to 24hr prata shop and eat S$1.50 masala thosai and drink teh peng.

11:25am

Come home and gush about cheapness of thosai to grandmother. Drink orange juice to extinguish burning in mouth.

11:30am

Write blog entry in sister's blog detailing the average day in the life of TOR on holiday in Singapore. Think of what did yesterday and day before so can continue entry. Smell Bolbol while thinking what did yesterday.

11:35am

Read book: Peter Biddlecombe's 'I came, I saw, I lost my luggage'. Funny travel book that inspires self to visit Vienna.

Interrupted by phonecall from boyfriend in Australia. Disputes contention that self is a lazy sod that has done nothing all day while he himself has been up since crack of dawn doing healthy aussie watersports. Maintains that self has gone for run too and so has done some form of physical activity. Valiantly defends self against laughter when reveals one has only run for 40 mins. Moan about having an essay and the second draft of pleadings for the Jessup competition due yesterday. Boyfriend reiterates opinion that one is a lazy sod that should have done it instead of watching CSI last night. But one cannot help it since CSI is best TV show ever in one's opinion. Not, do take note, CSI Miami. Which as everyone knows, is shite.

12:05am

Hang up phone, continue blog entry. Hug Bolbol.

12:10am (2 days ago)

Go to Junction 8 en route to Town. Eat old chang kee currypuff and fried squid head, thereby breaking fat-free resolution. Moan to boyfriend about fat-ness. No reply since engrossed in cheapness of exotic and never-seen-before (and therefore exciting) fruit like jambu and chiku. Buy jambu and chiku for S$3. Listen to ecstatic exclamations of cheapness.

1:30pm

Proceed to centrepoint to engage in serious heavy duty shopping at Robinsons, since mother and aunt possess Robinson's card that entitles one to 5% off. Drop in at PI to say hit to Sheena since indicated that would be there. Sheena and Elton out to lunch, boyfriend fascinated by PI.

2:16pm

Subject to deferential treatment by Shisedo salesgirl once gives mother's name. Realised mother is ultra-super platinum member. Automatically entitled to 2 free gifts after buying only one product. Nicely suprised. Met aunt.

3:03pm

Revelled in nice-ness of chicken rice and cheng tng in food court. Satisfied self to great extent eating nice food in deprived state of mind.

4:12pm

Proceed home with bags of shopping to resume lazy sod-ing.

5:20pm

Sniff Bolbol. Shower.

7:30pm

Meet Sheena and Elton for dinner. Insist on going to now defunct S11 at Dhoby Ghaut even though cautioned against by said parties since sure establishment has been demolished. Wander around ex-national library area in distressed state as if part of self has also been torn down. Area is now ugly. Sadness reigns in heart. Boyfriend just wants food.

8:02pm

Eat at Plaza Sing food court. Recover in spirit. Eat the famous mee pok. Gush on about niceness of mee pok. Enjoy Sheena's and Elton's and boyfriend's company. And think: this is the life. Nice mee pok, nice friends, nice public transport and air con cinemas. Then think: I am so sad about the national library.

9:26pm

Have debate about NUS's no smoking rule over whole campus. Argue that it is repressive and excessively paternalistic for the government to make such a decision without consulting the student body. Stress that it is not decision being attacked but way made. Suppose if made by students through voting at UGM would be totally acceptable to self. Hold forth on how university days should be days of freedom to smoke, do lighter drugs, have casual but safe sex (free birth control is key) and experiment with one's sexuality on path to finding one's own identity.

Of course own self did none of above.

But ability to make choice to do above is key. Doing or potentially doing above will not and has not made people into drug addicts or prostitutes. Look at educated-in-Australia boyfriend who has done all of above and more and is fine, upstanding pillar of community. And also self who is same except not earning money yet.

Sheena and Elton say 'but this is singapore' like everyone else but in their own minds, agree. Boyfriend thinks am cute when get excited and wave arms around. Hugs me and asks me to do it again. Suspect he is not really listening but taking the piss.

12:05am

Rush for MeRt but miss last one. Take cab. Boyfriend insists on taking comfort one 'cos they are better', causing uncle in tibs cab at front of queue to come out and shout at us.

12:32am

Arrive home to find whole family still up. Smell Bolbol. Annoy sister while showing free gifts to mother.

1:04am

Annoy sister while hugging Bolbol and announcing desire to sleep to house in general. Boyfriend says why is your house so noisy I want to sleep.

1:06am

Leave boyfriend and sister fiddling with and admiring new exciting creatif zen mini mp3 player and go to sleep. Sniff Bolbol.

Wish I could be on permanent holiday in SG and not have to do work.

Just came from a Studio Ghibli info site. Howl's Moving Castle is due to be released here March 10th, 2005.

I can't wait!

On the other hand, the crazy westerners that we know as Disney studios are realeasing Nausicaa, Porco Rosso and the Cat Returns as a 2 disc DVD set. Dubbed, needless to say. I don't know why these people can't just leave the anime as it is, do they like to spend time and money getting voice actors and suchlike? I mean, what's wrong with subtitles?

Had a damn good December this year. Am happy.

However, hormones running wild in my bloodstream did cause a little chaos (see previous post), though nothing irreparable.

So please don't worry, if I were really in shit I would call. But thanks for caring.

Am sticking this here for anyone who cares to read this journal and for my own reference.

Ours is the wisdom of Solomon,
the magic of Merlin,
the fall of Icarus.

From countless ages we have dreamed,
from endless worlds we have beckoned,
from infinite choice we have suffered.
The world chokes under stifling conformity,
hopes crumble in the fire of mediocrity,
heroes die in the snare of pride.

Armageddon is at hand.
Reality is a lie.
The truth is Magic.
Open your eyes
and Awaken.

-Taken from the back of the out of print Mage gamer's handbook.

Also for reference, I will never even consider choosing boys over a game. Especially if it's a blood bath.

Decided to go back to good old tagboard. For some reason I got rather attached to it, heh.

Just popped by to jot that down. Had a good day at the cosplay convention yesterday, but had a bad day today. So bad that I would like to cut my hair again, but there's not enough to cut.

I just need to simmer, I suppose. It's nothing serious.

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

1. What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before? Take a hiatus from the choir.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I never make resolutions...
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yeah, older cousin.
4. Did anyone close to you die? No.
5. What countries did you visit? None, sadly.
6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004? More gaming~ Yey, I want to do V:tM!
7. What date from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? 23rd November. Last day of the bloody O's.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Getting through the bloody O's without killing myself. And singing at VCH, of course.
9. What was your biggest failure? Letting my voice go down the drain. Or possibly coping very badly with emergencies.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? None significant.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Oh that's an easy one, the Sandman.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? That's a good one, I don't know?
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Several people, really.
14. Where did most of your money go? Much of it went to KKnM, at last count about $100 worth of renting. The rest was random rubbish, lah.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Gaming! And the end of the exams!!one11!
16. What song will always remind you of 2004? None in particular.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder? Most definately happier. I don't have to do any homework now. And have lots of gaming!
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Studying, I suppose.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? I don't know? Difficult question, that.
20. How will you be spending Christmas? At mass lah. And with loved ones.
22. Did you fall in love in 2004? Yes, Sota~! No, I'm joking. No love, only lust.
23. How many one-night stands? None.
24. What was your favorite TV program? I like CSI, and anything funny, like Who's line?
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Yes.
26. What was the best book you read? I generally like most books, the proper question would be which was the worst?
27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Nothing in particular. I keep waiting for someone to throw me Satriani or Vai but it seems that it's the cannot-leave-house stuff. Hrm.
28. What did you want and get? The Sandman. Not the whole thing, but still...
29. What did you want and not get? To go for Fiddler's Green, in the states.
30. What was your favorite film of this year? Possibly Casshern? I generally like movies.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 16. I slept. My mother did not allow me to have a life.
32.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Mm, having one foot in and one foot out of choir.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004? Anything comfortable, though I was in uniform most of the time.
34. What kept you sane? My friends. Particularly the ones who give a damn.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Sota lah.
36. What political issue stirred you the most? Lee Hsien Loong being elected the new Prime Minister.
37. Who did you miss? My sister, and Eldred.
38. Who was the best new person you met? Too many! The gamers, cosplayers, Hika people...
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004: If you can't help yourself, no one can.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: Life is a rollercoaster, just gotta ride it!

To hell with crappy people and shitty situations. I will not let this get me down. No, am not talking about my sister, contrary to popular belief she is actually decent.

Yes, have not posted regularly since the hols started, only use this as an outlet for stress and I have not been stressed in the least since the O's finished. Ok, maybe just a bit during Christmas shopping, that I completed already, for both friends and family.

Have been spending lots of time with my sister since she came back. Finished DNAngel with her, she's fascinated with the main character's familiar and wants to get the plushie but production has stopped and it costs a bomb. I don't believe she prefer DNAngel to FMA...

I love gaming~! Trying to find those nonsensical coloured character sheets but can't get my hands on them. But now have a modified sheet for rogues ie. very very long list for skills. If you want to print out official or custom character/ship/monster sheets, go to www.rpgsheets.com.

Going for the cosplay at the Science Center tmr, as Death from Gaiman's Sandman, of course. First cosplay, am quite excited. Even if it is a simple costume and I won't look like any particular anybody.

Ok, my tags are horribly outdated, so let's start here...

Hey Steph, dropped by your blog the other day. Are you aware that your tagboard's wonky? Anyway, I hear that you're working? Can I pop by and say hi?

No Ed, that's just something we call her. By the way, when you come back and if you go boy watching, can I come along? Oh, and I can't wait to taste your lamb!

Hallo Adam, Merry Christmas! You take care too~

It's very much of a change from my previous hair, Amanda. Not that short, as in Halle Berry. But still pretty short lah. And is terribly messy when I wake up. I mean, it needs claying, what do you think?

Off to chiong FMA on my sister's laptop now. I like to take advantage of it, can watch anime in my room~

I am very, very angry. The world is full of crappy people.

Fortunately, I also have very nice friends whom I don't deserve who cheer me up very effectively. Nick loaned me a ton of books, including the second installment of the hunter's trilogy, "the lone drow" that I still have not read, due to the bloody exams. So basically am gloriously buried in books, also have to catch up with manga at KKnM. Not to mention the amount of burning I have to do, from all over the place (Dawn, Tora, Jenny, Orion?).

Whoever said that the period after exams is boring is sorely mistaken, as have been doing something pretty much everyday. Trying to get Christmas shopping done this week, not sure if I can get everything to fit, including coffee/lunch with misc. people and gaming as well.

I chopped off all my hair! Now it's shorter than my dad's, have to use clay to style it in the morning. Clay's better than wax or gel, it's re-mouldable. So very fun to mess with. Haircuts make me cheerful for at least a month, which is oh hell just the thing I need, dammit.

I know I haven't been updating, got no time lah. Half the time when I'm on the com it's to watch anime. Or my sister's hogging it.

See? She wants to use it now, will come back later lah.

TOR:
I've got so much work to do but am too sian to do it. I can't believe I'm burnt out already! But then considering I did 5 essays in one month on top of all the Jessup research I had to do which was equivalent to doing one essay per week-- that's only to be expected. And I'm feeling all relaxed, even languid this morning because we had a really nice dinner last night too at Ubon by Nobu. The super-ultra-hyped-up Jap restaurant that all the Canary Wharf investment bankers frequent for a working sushi dinner before heading back to the office at 10pm for more bloody-minded ball-breaking deal-making.

What exactly I was doing there, I don't know. It was my friend's 21st so I thought, might as well, she doesn't turn 21 everyday, plus Nobu is meant to be famous and we should splash out once in a while just to say, we've tried it and it's crap. As it turned out, it wasn't crap at all. I had grilled scallops for a starter, creamy spicy prawns for main then green tea ice cream. I must say it was delicious, but probably not worth S$100. Don't tell mummy. Neil Gaiman's favourite dish, black cod with miso, turned out to be ok (birthday girl tried it) but not worth S$68. Besides, I think I can cook cod just as well. (I don't dare say better)

Anyway, here I am, S$100 lighter and not feeling up to tackling the mound of research stuff I have to read, sift through and bash into an award-winning argument. And I still haven't packed. But here I am, blogging away irresponsibly, and all I can think is the celebrity's favourite line: Get me out of here!

I've been woken up four times today, by the bloody phone. Five, if you count the fact that one person had to call back twice.

The next time anyone (not including Jenny and the Rosen Kreuz) wants to call at some unearthly hour of 7-11 in the morning, please don't. Just drop me a msg and I will get back to you, yes I do check my phone when I get up, even if I'll not be able to walk in a straight line.

And to answer everyone's damn question, my sister is not back yet, she'll be arriving this Friday, in the evening. Which also means that you'll not see me online as much, it'll depend on what time she sleeps.

Off to have lunch now.

Thanks Althea, you looked good too. We didn't get a photo together, I think. Not sure, have not got the film developed yet.