What a Difference a Day Makes

Song of the day: Jamie Cullum - What a Difference a Day Makes

I just realized that I have not blogged about an important event that had passed weeks ago.
Yeap. NLDS.
Brace yourself. This entry is gonna be a long, long one.

Apart from that, I forgot to mention about my 21st. Sadly, I was in the midst of exams and could not really go all out and celebrate it with a bang. Oh well, there’s always the 22nd. Hehe. Nevertheless, it was memorable. Thanks guys.

Straight after exams, I felt like I was on a bullet train. Everything was happening so quickly that I barely had time to sit back and chill. Yours truly was appointed to be the assistant chief delegate for UM’s NLDS delegation. Basically, it’s similar to being the assistant class rep. You look after the welfare of your teammates.

Our pre-NLDS was held in 4th College, UM. For 2 days, we prepared ourselves physically and mentally for the big event. Here are some things that I remembered from pre-NLDS:

1. Hauling my luggages up the slope towards 4th college lobby thinking that I was late.
2. Playing an ice-breaking game that involved us standing on the chairs and making animal movements.
3. Dancing, dancing, roll-calling, dancing, roll-calling, preparing props, more props preparation and eating of course.
4. Laughing in stitches because the sketch was so damn funny the 1st time we saw it.
   Alif’s boobs were D-cup sizes and are very pointy.
5. The bus driver promised us breakfast on our way to Penang but only stopped halfway through in Tapah rest area.
6. Whole journey was more or less in slumber until woken up by Mich’s call that said their car had caught up with the bus.
7. The bus was taking a joyride through USM as the aforementioned bus driver was lost.
8. Hauling luggages up the slope (and stairs!!) towards our designated hostel (sound familiar??) while enduring HOT-TO-GO from our male friends whose hostel happened to be just 5 minutes away from the lobby (Bloody hell)

That was just the appetizer. Now, the highlights of the main course.

1. Meeting loads of people whose names I can’t remember. But there are a few that stayed in my mind and hopefully in future, will be able to get to know them better.
2. Punishments galore: UM’s coin-passing, human pizza, condom-egg, butt slapping, eating biscuit from groin area (yikes!)
3. Roll-calls galore: Banana and papaya, A for Ayam, North and South, Boogara, Papa Shark, Father Abraham, Lost Season 1, Negaraku
4. SQUARE DANCE galore: Buttons, Hot Stuff, Shi-Shok-Shok, High School Musical, Hey Ya, Cotton Eye Joe, Ma-hi-Vee, I’m so Excited, London Bridge
5. Gala Dinner – food, food and food (at the end, UM vs UUM in roll-calling)
6. Samurai Game! Scary at first but damn cool at the end (I died because of Rock-Paper-Scissors. Sweat)
7. Challenging World View – someone asked me to explain what is masturbation [another sweat]
8. Getting pulled out unwillingly to dance by 3 guys and I screamed (sorta)
9. Sitting right in front hence could not fall asleep during boring sessions (best seats in the house??!)
10. Telematch – my knowledge of countries and their capital paid off rewardingly.
11. Global Village – lots and lots of slapstick comedy sketches
12. Aaron getting seduced to dance on his 1st day (His expression? Priceless)
13. Too many gay going-ons and cross-dressers
14. Walking back to hostel for most nights (what a torture on the feet!)
15. Fun, Fun, Fun and more Fun!!
16. Sleep-deprived

NLDS 2006 was certainly beyond any expectations and I had tonnes of fun. However, all good things must come to an end (plus, my body was so lethargic and needed some rest). After saying our goodbyes, we headed out to our respective hometowns. For me, it was not the end of the Penang excursion. Here's what I remembered from post-NLDS:

1. Sleep, sleep, sleep and sleep.
2. Eat, eat, eat and eat: Popiah, Char Koay Teow, Cendol, O-Chien, Rojak, Chee Cheong Fun, Hokkien Mee, Laksa
3. Rene's Auntie's Fabolous Condo with view overlooking Tanjung Bungah beach.
4. Joy-ride through spooky parts of Penang
5. Hanging out at the beach: Jet-skiing and horse riding (my 1st time on a horse!)
6. Short lepaking at Penang Hill (missed the tram ride up!)

All in all, it was an exciting, fun-filled but tiring 1 week. On my bus ride home to Ipoh, I slept all the way. Figures.

Since today is the eve of 2007, it is only fair that I reflect on my 2006. Overall, I had a pretty good year, much of it was because of my dear friends. They made it great. Thanks you guys. I started it watching fireworks in Penang and I will end it partying in KL in a matter of few hours.

My new year resolutions?

Lose weight, think more of others and play harder!

It's not the end but rather the start of a new beginning. Have a good one, people!

You Gotta Be

Song of the day: Desiree – You Gotta Be

The time is 2pm. I am currently writing this through my desktop at my designated work station which is situated strategically right in front so that everyone in the department would see me. At the moment, I have nothing to do and hence am writing this (In actual fact, I’m writing this so that my colleagues will think “Oh, she’s typing something. She must have work to do.” Hehe.). So far, it’s working!

For those uninitiated………….

Phew. Off again. I had to go down to the 3rd floor to get some files and scan some documents. Looked like my initial scheme did not pan out well after all.

Let’s try again. For those uninitiated, I am currently doing my internship in KPMG (One of the BIG FOUR Accounting firms in the world!!) which will last for 2 months. Today is currently my 4th day of work and so far, it’s going well. That is, no one has scolded me and called me a moron for being so clueless.

My humble “office” is situated on the 6th Floor dubbed the “Corporate Tax Services” department. This department looks pretty boring (and in actual fact, it is) because all you do is just sit down with a whole bunch of files around you and stare at the computer while trying to compute tax for some big shot client. Plus, they make you work like a dog as my colleague kindly told me she once only left the office at 1am!

On the 1st day itself, I knew it. I ain’t gonna be working in some tax department in the future. This ain’t what I wanna be doing later in life. No way, Jose. I want my career life to be out-there-meeting-clients and not sit-down-stare-at-computer. That moment, I thanked God that I was majoring in Finance and not Accounting. Poor real-life and soon-to-be accountants everywhere. I had no idea your life was so freaking boring.

So what the hell am I doing here? Wasting my precious holidays away, sitting here, and trying to look useful? Good question.

In some ways, it is kind of fulfilling. At least I know I’m not wasting my 3 months away doing absolutely nothing useful and being a lousy “sampah masyarakat”.

However, I only earn RM25 per day. Yeap. I know. Even waiters earn more than me. BUT….. it’s the experience that counts ma. My CV has been boost up (Did I mention KPMG is one of the BIG Four Accounting firms in the world?) and I get to be an employee in a multinational company!

The time is now 4.20pm. In about an hour, I will be free!! I will be meeting up with a couple of KDU pals in Chili’s MidV to reminisce (over and over again) about our very special college days. So, what else is new?

As an ending note, just like to put in a word of advice to all students out there: Enjoy while it lasts! Working life sucks more than student life though at the moment you may disagree. Believe me. I know both worlds. I can’t wait to be a student again.

Days remaining: 28

Lovely Day

Song of the day: TWDY featuring Too Short and Mac Mall - Lovely Day (remix)

Today has been anything but. Well, it was not that bad actually. Since today was the day that the GREAT BATTLE begins (Read: Exams), it's just obvious that it can't be a lovely day. I had a paper as early as 8am, which comes as no surprise that I acted like a zombie half the time and once, nearly fell asleep right there and then on my desk ....... while writing down my answers [sweat]. The thing is, I was pretty complacent with this paper. Halfway through, I thought I would pay the price for my nonchalance seeing that I had still so many questions to do and time was essentially running out. Somehow or rather (perhaps it was my mind's ability to work capably when under duress), I managed to finish writing all my answers before the stroke of time and even got a chance to sort of check my work through.

I dragged myself back home as soon as the paper finished as images of my lovely bed beckons. Needless to say, I had a whale of a time sleeping (4 hours!) but when I woke up, I was lethargic. Till now, I still am and hence, not much studying was done tonight. My next paper is on WEDNESDAY!! Damn.

[background music for the battle at hand: Star Wars Imperial March]

Altogether now ..... tan tan tan, tan tan tan, tan tan tan..........(such a cool anthem!)

That's Life

Song of the day: Frank Sinatra - That's Life

Great. It's 2am. In the middle of a freaking cold night. Supposingly studying Management Accounting. The notes are still opened (Page 1) and is laying on the desk beside my laptop. Practically begging me to take a look at it. I looked. "Cost Management Analysis" was what was written in big bold blue ink. Yawn. I turned back to my laptop. This is definitely WAY more interesting.

I NEED help.

And before you can say, "You study in HELP, that's why you need HELP!" crap, let's take a moment to discover exactly what I'm in need of help for.

Hmm... let's see....

1. I can't concentrate on my revision.
2. My revision is taking a backseat while I'm busy hanging out.
3. Nothing is going inside this supposedly-smart brain of mine [Note: Words of others, not mine]
4. Exams in 5 days.

My whole life is flashing before my eyes. All that I've accomplished the past year will go to waste. What matters is NOW. Year 2. If I don't do well enough this semester, I can really kiss my scholarship goodbye. Adios, Brisbane! Gold Coast, Koala bears, Great Barrier Reef.....

Ok. Maybe it won't be so drastic. Maybe I would still be able to salvage Credits or maybe [wishful thinking and crossing fingers] Distinctions. And maybe the questions will be as simple as ABC and as such, High Distinctions will be highly probable! [grin]

I had a mini mini excursion again today. We had dinner at Pandi's. After dinner, I just had to open my big mouth and asked, "So, no plans for tonight?". [shakes head]. Before you can say, "EXAMINATIONS!" we were on our way to Bangsar. My head says "This is wrong" but my heart exclaims "Yay!". I had an overwhelming desire to have Baskin N Robbins and so it was our 1st stop. Mich was craving for coffee so it was Coffee Bean where we ended up. Nevertheless, the 3 half-crazy, giggling girls had no company for the night. Yesterday's ruse would not have worked on the 2 poor fellas again and plus, we felt sorry for them.

And so, there were three. We had a pretty deep conversation regarding life in general. C'mon. What else did you expect from 3 girls, sipping latte and binging on calories? Therapy-in-session, of course! At the end of it, the wheels in my brain were working overboard. I don't think I came out of it feeling any better (in the 1st place, I wasn't feeling lousy at all) but it was enlightening. Thanks girls. We should do it sometime soon....... After exams.

On a lighter note, Manchester United's playing tonight. In the league cup. Against a club I didn't even know exist till today (No offence, Southend). If you haven't already figured it out, it's absolutely my favourite football club in the world. Top of the league with such a superior goal difference, what could be better? Oh wait, what about wiping that obnoxious and cocky grin off Moan-rinho's face when MU lift the Premiership crown come May next year? That would be priceless.

Football is my passion. So is music. You can say that it's alarming and a tad disturbing that a girl could know so much about football even more than some of her male peers. What can I say? I adore the game, the footballers and the excitement it brings with it. So sue me.

Currently, Elvis is swooning that he wants me, he needs me and he loves me [smile]. If only you were 25 and still alive, I might just consider. Now, it's BeeGees saying that they started a joke and they made the whole world laugh. The joke is really on them. Sigh. Being 21 and loving oldies. Weird, you might say [shrug] but I don't really care what you think. Note: I am a bit defensive today due to the aforementioned therapy session.

Oldies can be so emotional sometimes. Inspirational too.

Moon river, wider than a mile
I’m crossing you in style some day
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker
Wherever you’re goin’, I’m goin’ your way

Two drifters, off to see the world
There’s such a lot of world to see
We’re after the same rainbow’s end,
waitin’ ’round the bend
My huckleberry friend, moon river, and me

There is really such a lot of world to see but will we be able to see them all in our lifetime? Is everyone really after the same rainbow's end? Ultimately, what does we as human want in our life? Success? Love? Happiness?

Billy Joel - Vienna. We were just discussing this song the other day. Looking back at it, I think I can say that this song could really resemble my real life now.

Slow down, you crazy child
you're so ambitious for a juvenile
But then if you're so smart, tell me
Why are you still so afraid?

Where's the fire, what's the hurry about?
You'd better cool it off before you burn it out
You've got so much to do and
Only so many hours in a day
But you know that when the truth is told..
That you can get what you want or you can just get old
You're gonna kick off before you even
Get halfway through
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?

Slow down, you're doing fine
You can't be everything you want to be
Before your time
Although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight Tonight...
Too bad but it's the life you lead
you're so ahead of yourself that you forgot what you need
Though you can see when you're wrong, you know
You can't always see when you're right. You're right
You've got your passion, you've got your pride
but don't you know that only fools are satisfied?
Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?

Guess this will be my heartsong after all. The penguins in 'Happy Feet' took my previous song "Somebody to Love" away from me.

So, oldies can really be a life lesson in disguise. Plus, when they have a voice like Sinatra's, you just can't help but be enthralled by it.

Sigh. All this hogwash and I'm still back at where I started. Revision, revision, revision. "You've got SO MUCH TO DO and only so many hours in a day". Even my heartsong isn't giving me any encouragement. "Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true".

Enough ramblings for the night. The clock indicates 3am. My accounting notes is still on Page1, untouched. [shakes head]

Desperado

Song of the day: The Eagles - Desperado

Yawn. Day 2 on my Intensive-Study-Week Operation. By my last count, I had fallen asleep involuntarily at least twice today. Afternoons are the worst. There's something in the air that induces you to close your eyes (if only for a short while), rest your head on the comfy pillow placed perfectly at the nook of your head and before you know it, you had fallen deep into slumber. These days, I had learned my lesson. Everytime I revert my studying stance to the oh-so-inviting bed of mine, I will switched on my phone alarm just in case. It's my fault, really. Why the hell do I study on the bed, knowing fully that I would fall asleep in the 1st place? Go figure.

Yeap. It's Day Two. Countdown remaining: 5 days. My resolve to study intensively was not aided by the mini-excursion I had with my friends yesterday. I was all ready, dressed for dinner (hoping that it would be a Chinese place this time around or maybe some Mamak besides Murni's) but in the end, where did they choose to eat? In boring Ol' MC. Yawn. Same ol' spaghetti, same ol' fried mihun, same ol' Wan Tan Mee. Seriously, one of this days, I could really puke with just the mention of MC food. Anyway, since the company was good, I had no qualms and I ate my dinner (without puking!). A friend of mine, whose exams are on Friday wanted to release stress by banging some pool balls. Normally, I would have declined to follow since I was way behind schedule on my revision and time is really running out. But on this occasion, I was all dressed and was hoping for a break of environment so desperately that I was roaring to go and de-stress with them.

The problem was, we were lacking company. It was just the 3 of us girls from the dinner table that was interested in playing pool. Somehow or rather, we devised an idea to "coerce" some guy friends of ours to come along with us. We called them, telling that we will come to their house to pick them up in just 5 minutes. We hung up on them before they had a chance to say No. The thing was, they were in the midst of exam period too and were probably intending to study intensively for the remainder of the night. We arrived at their house, kept blowing the horn but they still would not come out. They even had the nerve to shut the lights, pretending there was nobody at home. The funny thing was, they kept peeping through the window to see if we had given up and had driven away. Our resolve finally paid off when the both of them came out, albeit reluctantly.

The rest of the night was needless to say, fun. After we had picked them up, we went to Pandi's for a quick bite and surprisingly, some of our other friends were there too. Exam period? What exam period? Haha. After Pandi's, we went to play pool for about 2 hours and then, ate a late supper at Devi's Corner. By the time we reached back at our respective places, it was 2am. Poor fellas. They were like our prisoners, at the mercy of 3 half-crazy, giggling girls looking for a good night out. They probably wished that they never knew us in the 1st place. Hehe.

Guilty conscious as I was, I took the liberty to sort-of study till 3am. This morning, I can safely say that nothing substantial went into my over-frenzied brain.

It's Day Two. And yet, I'm blogging. After an impromptu night out yesterday. Sigh.


Adios, High Distinctions! Hola, Distinctions!

A Hard Day's Night

Song of the day: The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night

"Remember, remember, the 5th of November"

If the above chant sounds eerily familiar, that's cause you heard it from the movie V for Vendetta. In actual history, the 5th of November was the day that Guy Fawkes, the notorious British renegade attempted to bomb the Parliament. It's probably that time of the year again when people rejoiced in seeing a strawman being burned by a bonfire. Seriously, isn't it creepy witnessing a man (albeit made out of straw) being burned alive? Go figure the Brits.

Anyhow, no festivities here in Malaysia this time of the year. Instead (at least for university students) it's FINALS period. Yes, it is that dreaded time of the year. When all activities are put on hold, where one hardly has time to sit back and relax with friends, when students will isolate themselves in their room to revise (or attempting to but failing miserably), when anxiety and pressure heightens considerably and most notably, when appearances appear to be more shabby than usual.

I hate exam periods. But then again, we have study breaks which means I don't have to wake up early to attend lectures (Yay!). So I guess my feelings are ambivalent.

Countdown: 7 days

Shit.

1st paper: Statistics. Good news is, I did pretty well for my mid-term test (14/15) considering the fact that I partied in Laundry 12 hours before the exam. Bad news is, it's the 1st paper but it was the last subject that I started revising for.

2nd paper: Financial Institutions. Double shit. I fear for this subject the most. Mostly its because I have no idea where to start revising. Though my midterm test did reasonably well (23/30 - which is the highest in class, hehe), I can feel my chances of scoring a HD slipping away already.

Ok. Enough about exams. What else has been happening? I watched The Departed the other day (apparently I do not abide by the exam observations as stated above) starring Leo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg. My 3 favourite Hollywood actors. Plus Christian Bale of course......... And numerous others including Eric Bana, Clive Owen and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. So sue me. I happen to like drop-dead gorgeous men [defiant look].

Actually, I've got no inspiration to blog these days (hence, the really-boring-and-crappy entry). Writers are actually pretty similar to artists. We need some form of inspiration to build our ideas and be able to express them in a creative way. Guess this is what it feels like to suffer from writer's block. I think it's cool to be an author (though I doubt I have the talent to be one). I mean, I think I have the imagination and ideas for plots and characters but alas, no talent to write them out. Oh well, I think it's cool to be a secret agent too but that does NOT mean I really want to be one. 1 hour on the job and I'll probably get killed by a single headshot.

Great. I wasted 1 hour blogging. 1 precious hour whereby I could have finished reading 1 whole chapter.

Countdown: 6 days and 23 hours ..........

Triple shit!!

More Than Fine

Song of the day: Switchfoot - More Than Fine

Perhaps the most common word used in the midst of conversation is "Fine". Some would argue that "OK" or "Err..." comes close too but for the sake of this entry, let's all agree that it's "Fine". Moreover, "Err..." can't really be considered a full fledged word. I mean, it's more like a ...... err.... you get what I mean.

This days, have been over-exposed to the word "Fine". In real and reel life. The irony of the word is when someone uses it, they don't usually mean that it's fine and dandy and great. What they really mean is "Fine! I don't agree with whatever you say but I'll have to go along with you since I don't have the time and energy to argue about it. Plus, I'm flexible. So, whatever you say is FINE with me!" They say it with such vehemence and sarcasm in their voice that the other party must be deaf not to notice that "Fine" isn't really fine at all [No offence intended for the hearing impaired].

Human. Why can't we just say what we want to say out loud? More often than not, what we say don't usually coincide with what our brains are thinking. I belong in the guilty party as well so that makes me eligible to judge and partake in this pointless observation.

The best example is the previous said "Fine". Another good example is "It was fun!" when the truth was "Well, it was OK at best, downright boring to say the least and please don't call me out again!". There are exceptions of course to the rule. The point is moot here, however.

In conclusion [this entry is starting to look like an essay], there is nothing to be gained from this useless entry. I just wanted to put some crap into my blog.

P/S: The time is 1.32am. All I want to do now is watch Harrison Ford act as the most powerful man on earth going all out to save his precious plane from hijackers. Great. I might as well throw my study plan out of the window. Oh, another thing. I had just fallen in love with Christian Bale. He is now my favourite actor.

Any Dream Will Do

Song of the day: Andrew Lloyd Webber - Any Dream Will Do

I'm back in my miserable room in KL rather than my lovely home in Ipoh. Reason? I NEED to get my act together and study.

I went home for the Deepa-Raya holidays with my brother and his girlfriend. Seriously.... my brother brought home his gf which only means 1 thing: It's serious! Not that I have any objections with it. I think she's pretty down to earth and I kinda like her. I think they're well suited for each other. Maybe I'm a bit biased since she did give me the Prada purse and all. Hehe.

Nothing remarkable happened during the Ipoh stint. I ate a lot (Shit! Everyone's telling me I'm putting on weight!), slept a lot, watched the whole freaking 24 Season 5 and I visited my deceased relatives since All Souls day is around the corner. Other than that, nothing remarkable happened.

Oh... did I mentioned I watched the whole freaking 24 Season 5 in 3 days? That's like 8 episodes per day. I did it once during my May holidays. Man, how addictive it can be. It's like 1 frigging long movie with loads of subplots that you just have to go on and on and on. Though the storyline can't differ much from the other seasons, it's still interesting to watch Jack Bauer and his loyal comrades relentlessly pursuing terrorists or traitors who will bomb a densely populated location or set our nerve gas that will kill innocent lives within the next 2 hours or less. Seriously, don't these guys sit down and have lunch or go for toilet breaks? They just keep going and going and going.... especially Jack Bauer! What annoys me is that they are so DAMN smart and resourceful! With just a simple click here and there, voila, some seriously-impossible-to-get intel could be obtained. With just a couple of men and high-tech arsenal, voila, they could take down practically all the mercenaries and hostiles who equally have high-tech machine guns. Seriously, everytime Jack Bauer escapes each engagement with barely a scratch. I know that man is good but NOT that GOOD!

Anyhow, they are paving the way for a Season 6. I can foresee ahead another 24 marathon for me. Damn. I've heard through the grapevine that there will be a 24 movie out soon. Great. How could they fit 24 hours in just a mere 2 hours? Anyhow, will be looking forward to it. I think Kiefer Sutherland fits these brooding-federal-agent characters down to a pat. The role he played in 'The Sentinel' was soooo Jack Bauer. And he played it well. Can't imagine Kiefer doing anything other than these type of characters. Comedy? Nah.... or [gasps] Romance?

Later, will be going to watch 'The Prestige'. Heard from others, it's a pretty nice show. I already have my hopes up. Don't disappoint me now, Heath, Christian, Scarlett.

Great. My whole purpose for coming back to KL early was to cram knowledge into my brain. At point of writing, still no desire and discipline to do so. I am doomed. What the hell, gal?? You're supposed to be the top student again this year! Exam's in 2.5 weeks! That's hardly enough time to study thoroughly!

I just had to knock some sense into my brain. Did it worked? Not in the very least.

Think I'll go and take a nap now... It's been a tiring journey (Tiring? All you did was sleep in the car!) ....It's a lazy Sunday afternoon (Hello? It's Wednesday!).... My eyes are sore from blogging (Blame it on me, huh?).... ZZZzzzzz....

Excuses, excuses... When will I ever learn?

He ain't heavy, He's my brother

Song of the day: Bee Gees - He ain't heavy, He's my brother

I woke up this morning, feeling as if I'm still in a disarray. Wait. Scratch that. I AM still in a disarray. But how could that be? A big burden of my life has been dealt with and the next big burden ain't coming till in 3 weeks time. Damn! 3 weeks only? I better start my revision soon.

But academics isn't what's bugging me this time. I can't even pinpoint exactly but I have a sneaky suspicion that what my brother said to me the other day was the main culprit. What exactly did he say to me?

"Who are you? It's like I don't even know you anymore!"

"You're changing, gal."

"So, you think you're so great heh?"

"Don't screw up your life!"

Hello?? Me, screwing up my life? That would never happen. I know my priorities and I would never allow anything to sway me from the path I've chosen. So, why did it hit me so much, those words uttered in concern by him? Maybe he was right that the fact I'm changing. But changes can be a good thing, no?

1st year post-KDU, I was really in the dumps. I was depressed. I was lonely. I was focusing all my energy into my studies. I had an aim. I wanted to be the top student in my year (which I finally succeeded, I think). But it came with a price. I had not a social life that I can shout about. I had no sense of belonging anywhere. I was pretty much lost in translation.

2nd year... I decided to turn my life around. I devised a motto: Work hard, play harder. I was trying to keep a balance between work and play. If others can do it, why can't I? I started hanging out more often than not, even on weekdays. I can feel my intellectual deteriorating a little. Simple questions in tutorial, I can't even do anymore. The night before an exam, I partied in Laundry, feeling no remorse whatsoever. I was complacent and I knew it! And yet, I continued to be complacent. This sem I've been skipping classes at will [a good friend pointed out to me recently that the "old" me would not have done so]. But I believe that as long as you keep up with the pace, it would not be a problem. But am I keeping up with the pace?

What is wrong with me? Finals in 3 weeks time and everyone's like "Shit, gotta study already. Can't go out too often." Me? "Chill lar. 3 weeks ma. Still got lots of time to study."

I had an aim. I still have the same aim. But am I doing everything I can to achieve that aim? I know that I'm a 'wait for things to happen rather than make things happen" kind of person. I'm trying my best to be proactive but to no avail. My carefree-ness is beginning to be my Archilles heel. I believe that opportunities will come knocking at my door. I believe that things will work themselves out. I believe that good things come to those who wait.

I've waited a long time. Nothing's happening still. This should be my wake-up call! BE PROACTIVE! MAKE THINGS HAPPEN! But....sigh.

Do I feel better after I've vented my frustrations out to the blog? No, I don't think so. I'm still in a disarray. And by the looks of it, I would still be for a long while. Maybe a trip back to Ipoh would be the buffer Home, TV, parents.... I hope it will do the trick. But maybe not either. Sometimes family could be your worse enemy rather than your trusted ally. I pray that it's the latter.

Soul Provider

Song of the day: Michael Bolton - Soul Provider

Just realized it's been a while since I last blogged. It has been a hell of a week [or so]. So where do I start?

From where I left off of course. Assignments aplenty. Really going crazy for a while there. This week itself, I had 3 assigments due. I am so thankful it's all over and done with! My life can finally get back on track. These days, it's been moving way too fast for my liking [Am blaming it on my motto: Work hard, play harder].

Highlights of the past week or so:

1. The award ceremony held just this morning. Met a new friend, chatted with an old one and had lunch with a close friend. Oh, not to forget the amount of money I received. Joy, joy! Well, it was pretty embarassing to be up on the stage so many times. Even Ms. Priya (the one who was reading the names) was like "You again ar?". I just chuckled of course. In a way, I did not realize the extend of my achievements till everyone (including the guests of honor) were complimenting me about it. Hmm... [Note to self: This is your blog. You can brag in here] I guess, looking back at it, I do feel a sense of pride in what I've achieved last year. This year? Everyone's expecting me to repeat the same performances. I seriously have no idea if I can do it (Whatever happened to "Think positive"?)
2. Late last night: Car breaking down, bunch of Mat Rempits haggling us, stuck in the middle of pretty-much nowhere, sleepy as hell.... to sum it up: DRAMA. I was roaring to go out and have fun since I can safely say "Good Riddance and see you next year" to my assignments. We ended up in Curve, I ended up spending RM50 to buy a pair of pumps, we ended up in Laundry (the cute manager wasn't there, how saddening), I ended up drinking a little (though I was hesitant in the 1st place) and voila, we ended up in Petronas, Sg. Penchala (not exactly where we expected the night to end up definitely). I would like to take the opportunity to thank a few guys who sacrificed their sleeping time to save our necks. The more the merrier, I'll say.
3. Charity Bazaar! Selling sausages and getting dunked. What a combination. Oh, not to mention, singing in the rain (literally). I also got myself some pretty decent body art. Wonder what my mum would say about it though. However, I already came up with the perfect excuse, "All for the sake of charity ma!"
4. New phone!!! Yay!!! Finally, my wish came true. I even bought the phone I've been eyeing for some time now, though it is actually a pretty old model. Old is Gold anyhow. But, it came with a price. And I don't mean the price of the phone either (my money gone!).[The subject remains a sensitive matter and shall not be discussed here]
5. Last but not least, Friday night. It was supposed to be just movies and maybe, mamak session after that. 4am tops will be home, safe and sound in bed. However, ended up playing a few rounds of pool and going to a friend's house to play mahjong. Played till morning and ended up eating breakfast before going home to aforementioned bed. Slept for 4 hours before waking up again to welcome an intern (only to be caught in a jam and missed the whole reception thingy). All in all, tiring but fun-filled.

Wow. So much has happened in the past week or so. Has it been that long? I seriously can't keep up anymore. Luckily, the break came in an opportune time for me. I can now relax my mind a little, my exhausted brain too and not to forget, my sanity!

Living life in the fast lane and on the edge is exciting but... can I really keep up?

Barely Breathing

Song of the day: Duncan Sheikh - Barely Breathing

3 assignments still unaccomplished. Good news? It's due next next Monday. Bad news is.... I have no idea how to go about it (and hence, barely started).

That dilemma aside, I actually had a pretty good pre-weekend. Had some good news from college (which I think I wrote about in an earlier entry). Right now, I am planning how to spend the money "wisely". Most of it would probably go to my Kuching-trip fund and my possible NLDS-camp fees also (possible because I might not be able to go as I'll be interning and all...). My parents and my auntie already warned me to 'belanja' them dinner (As long as they don't pick restaurants like OVERSEAs etc.). I haven't told my brother about it yet but he would have heard it from my parents. Think they've been telling every single relative of mine about it already. Today, I received 3 e-cards basically indicating the same message, all from my parents themselves. . You'd think I've won the Noble Prize or something. Maybe I should demand for a reward from them. Hehe. These days, my phone's kind of going bonkers. I want a new one. No, scratch that. I NEED a new one.

Anyway, what else was going on this week? Ohya... MUrni's. I went there 3 times already in the past 7 days. The thing is, it's freaking expensive! And the food's getting kind of boring. Maybe it's because I always order the same food again and again. Nevertheless, I had a bundle of fun. Mostly, it's thanks to the company I'm with. And probably, the subject too. Most of the time, we just discussed our views regarding this erm... piece of meat. Believe me. It ain't no ordinary meat we're talking about here. Don't think you can buy it from a run-of-the-mill butcher shop anywhere. Well.... Probably somewhere in China you might be able to (heard it's a delicacy there). Yikes....

Just yesterday, went to play pool with some friends. Haven't played in a while so was pretty surprised at my performance. Pretty much 'tapau-ed' my friend there. Haha. Then, it was Devil Wears Prada. OHMYGOSH....the clothes they featured were so bloody fantaboulous! Blahnik, Choos, Lagerfeld, Cavalli, Valentino, Armani, yada yada yada.....How i wish, how i wish...

I went to a friend's house today. Her house was a real piece of 'interior designing' art. Was ooh-ing and aah-ing about the little details. Anyway, the real purpose I was there was to actually spend some time doing our assignment together. Needless to say, nothing much was accomplished. Except, I found a new place where I can get bargain branded stuffs like Guess, CK, Esprit and MaxMara. The trick is, how do I get there again? Cheras was way bigger than I expected.

Tomorrow, will be going to try and cook sausages to sell for the bazaar. And will probably go to church in the evening (Keyword: probably). Sunday? Might be going to MidV to meet up with a couple of old friends from Ipoh.

Point is.. there ain't much time to concentrate on my assignment. Which is bad. Very bad. As I mentioned before, I don't have much of a clue what to do still. And yet, I am spending my precious time blogging now. Goes to show where my priorities lie, huh? Aren't you flattered??

Roses

Song of the day: Outkast - Roses

I just woke up and I'm blogging. And I was worried that my enthusiasm would last for a miserable 1 day. Hmm...

It's a new day. It's Tuesday. My 2nd favourite day in the week. Reason? I have only 1 class for the whole day and it starts at 3.30pm. The best thing about it is... I get to wake up whenever I want to.

Today, my mood is neutral. It could swing either way. But people who know me would claim that I have never been in a lousy mood before. In fact, I have been accused straight to my face that I was too 'cheery'! What can I say? I just radiate 'happy' hormones all the time.

The thing is, I'm easily satisfied. A little thing can dictate my mood for the whole day. Let me compile a list:

Little things that would make my mood good:

1. Getting to wake up whenever I want to
2. Getting to sleep again after discovering that I don't have to wake up early after all (more often than not, it's because I decided to 'ponteng' the early class)
3. Hearing that my beloved MU won their game or is top of the table
4. Getting to enjoy my food while simultaneously watching my favourite TV drama or reading a great book
5. Knowing that the night before I had accomplish what I've set out to do and more
6. Hearing my favourite songs on radio and getting to sing along at the top of my voice (Hmm... it rained cats and dogs yesterday night)
7. Getting an email from a long lost friend
8. Getting any email from anyone at all (and I don't mean spam)
9. Having good banter with my college mates
10. Having a good hair day

Wow. I read it again and I realized I am that easy to satisfy. Crap.

p.s: Reason I chose Roses? The whole 'wake up and smell the roses' thing. Guess it does coincide with my theme after all.

She Says

Song of the day: Howie Day - She Says

I've decided to give blogging another try. Perhaps 3rd time's the charm for me. Anyhow, I am determined to keep this blog off and running. I even gave it a much-needed facelift! The boring black is gone and it even have a new name! Hehe. My pre-Halloween resolution? Blog every other week, at least. Knowing me, this new resolve of mine would probably last 2 weeks the best case scenario. Worst case scenario? 1 day.

So, I've decided to keep the "Song of the day" thing going but I ain't gonna blog about it. The thing is, it's frustrating trying to figure out a theme that coincides with the song title. Screw it. The reason I chose Howie Day? It was playing on my MP3 when I was blogging this entry.

So, had a plan to finally get started on my triple assignment tonight after a hectic week of double tests and assignments due date. Phew. Glad that was over and done with. The thing is, it ain't over and done to begin with! Within the next 2 weeks? I will have to submit 3 assignments, organize a charity bazaar, sell chocolate candies and attend an award ceremony (Hehe, not trying to brag or anything.....but yours truly will be receiving 3 awards for good achievement in studies. Heh. Lucky ni-lah)

I seriously need a break. Before my "annual family trip" with my 1st son and my friends to Kuching next January, that is. I just need a day, away from it all (and by "all" i mean, college+hostel+responsibilities+handphones..... even my beloved TV). I just wanna be in an idyllic island (Langkawi?), lounging by the beach, sipping "Pina Colada" and with a personal masseuse at my call......Lovely.....oh, not to forget the half-naked, tanned and muscular hunks playing volleyball by the beach....Paradise.

The picture is bogus actually. It ain't Langkawi. It was taken when I went to Pulau Kapas with my college mates. Still, perfect...

Enough daydreaming already. So, what's happening in my so-called-ordinary life? Nothing much. Except I've been waiting to hear news from the companies that I've applied internship to. Except I've been procrastinating to send my application to the 'very-intimidating' BCG (My brother will surely berate me about it when he comes home from Acheh). Except I have 3 assignments to do in 2 weeks and I'm wasting precious time blogging here. Except, despite the triple workload, I'm making plans to catch "The Devil wears Prada" soon. Except I've recently 'inherited' a genuine Prada purse. Farnee. I was supposed to buy it sometime in the future.

5-things to buy when I am rich and maybe-famous?

1. Prada purse (Yay!)
2. Gucci watch
3. A round-the-world trip
4. Mini Cooper S (in red or silver)
5. A luxurious condo in the heart of KL

Hmm...One down. Four to go.

Celebrate the Day

Song of the day: Herbert Gronemeyer – Celebrate the Day

I’ve finally found the perfect topic to write about in this blog after a year long hiatus. It’s the month of June in the year 2006. I’ve been waiting for this event ever since the last instalment ended in Yokohama 4 years ago with Brazil winning their 5th title. Yes, it’s the most common topic around: Fifa World Cup 2006. Everyone’s talking about it (Even my Mom knows a little about Brazil and their ‘samba’) and now, I’m gonna pen down my thoughts and experiences about this month-long event. At point of writing, the big finale between France and Italy will be staged in 6 hours time which makes this a good time to savour the memories and reminisce about the moments that made Germany 2006 a WC to remember!

This is my (sorta) 3rd World Cup that I’ve been watching diligently from my reliable Astro channel 80. The last WC, Korea/Japan, I was in Form5 thus I wasn’t able to watch every single match played (I even missed the opening match between France and Senegal due to Physics tuition!). However, it was still an experience to remember: Germany’s 8-0 drubbing of Saudi Arabia, Becks penalty win against old rivals Argentina, Spain’s loss to South Korea from penalties (Sob), Ronaldo’s double sealing victory against Germany in the final. France 98, I was still young and ignorant about the world of football but I still kn0w about Italy and Fabio Cannavaro, France and Zidane, Beckham’s red card and Michael Owen’s wonder goal against Argentina. Oh yes, I knew about Raul and perennial underachievers Spain of course (wink).

But this year, I have extensive coverage about the World Cup since my holidays incidentally coincided with the WC (Hehe). Due to that, I have been watching all 63 (64 plus tonight’s final) matches on my telly! Ok, I admit it. Games like South Korea v Togo, Iran v Angola and Tunisia v Saudi Arabia, I didn’t really watched all 90 minutes of it but I still know about the goal scorers and the drama of it. Anyhow, the point is, this will truly be a WC to remember for me! Sleeping at 5am and watching matches at 9pm, 12am and 3am: Damn, I missed them already!

From the early stages onwards, I’ve noticed three things about this WC.
1. Goals, goals and goals galore! - The first game between Germany and Costa Rica will testify to that. 6 goals! Lahm and Frings scored the 2 best goals of the night. Argentina drubbed 6 past a hapless Serbia and Montenegro with Cambiasso’s goal proving to be one of the best so far in WC history!
2. Early goals - This year, a lot of goals were scored within the 1st 10 minutes. Lahm’s, Pauleta’s against Angola, Gamarra’s own goal for England etc.
3. Yellow, yellow, yellow, U’re OUT! – Hehe. Poor Graham Poll (reputably the best referee in EPL!). This year, due to stricter rules from FIFA, more yellow cards were handed out. It doesn’t surprise me anymore when a player gets send off. Look at Portugal v Holland (the infamous one!), Italy v USA (Tsk tsk De Rossi), Australia v Croatia (drama, drama, drama!).

However, the group stages proved to be more exciting and dramatic than the knockout stages. Is it me or were the 2nd round matches a complete bore? England v Ecuador -Drab, drab and even Becks will puke on that, Ukraine v Swiss – even the penalties were anti climatic, Germany v Argentina – the match of the round but the 1st half was completely –yawn-. But thanks to Ayala’s goal, the game intensified till the penalties. The Germans (Neuville, Ballack, Podolski and Borowski) were completely in control of their mental strength while tough luck on the Argentines (Ayala and Cambiasso).

The highlight of the QF was France’s victory over the mighty Brasil! Though I kinda dislike both teams, I was glad Brasil got knocked out. It seemed, at first as if they were truly on their way to their sixth title (which will bore me out, seriously). So, master Zidane once again proved that “form is temporary but class is permanent!”

Once you get into the SF stage, in my opinion, you have already won something in return. It ain’t easy getting into SF so I have the most utter respect for these 4 teams. Germany has over-achieved with their young and virtually unknown squad (C’mon, besides Ballack, who else is a world-class footballer?) under 1st time-coach Juergen Klinsmann (who lives in California and has an American wife). Portugal getting this far is an achievement by itself. Scolari proves to be a master tactician with C.Ronaldo establishing himself with his one-two-many overstep tricks. Hehe (I am a MU fan btw). France is an aging team but still managed to find the inspiration to perform at the biggest stage once again (Perhaps to send Zidane a bidding farewell?). Italia has always been a participator at the SF stage and beyond so it’s not much of a surprise that they came this far. The last time they won, back in Spain ’82, the national team were shrouded in match-fixing controversy too. Could this be an omen?

Anyway, the best way to summarize a WC is to give out “awards” like this:

Best Goal: Torres v Ukraine
Personally, I like this goal because I am a loyal Spain supporter. Puyol’s break from midfield, his wonder turn and perfect set up for Torres is truly a magnificent sight worth watching over and over again. Other great goals: Schweinsteiger’s double v Portugal, Joe Cole’s v Sweden and Barnetta v Togo.

Best Striker: Miroslav Klose
He’s gonna get the Golden Boot award unless Thierry Henry scores a hattrick (which this tournament has not seen so far!). Anyhow, I don’t fancy the way he runs though (kinda screaming "I-am-a-faggot!")

Best Midfielder: Zinedine Zidane
He’s gonna be a legend with his name spoken within the same breath as in Pele, Maradona, Cryuff, Charlton, Platini, Eusebio and Beckenbauer. Is he gonna retire with a flourish? It remains to be seen.

Best defender: Fabio Cannavaro
Sad to say, he looks better with hair but his defending prowess remains the same, if not better as this tournament progresses. He is my vote to win the Golden Ball if they do not win their 4th title tonight.

Best goalkeeper: Jens Lehmann
He’s 36 but who cares? The saves he made from the penalty spots against Argentina cements his reputation (and Klinsi’s judgement) as the No.1 in Germany over Ollie Kahn. Sad to say, he’s an Arsenal man. But fair play to him for giving Kahn a chance to bow down from international football with aplomb against 4th place Portugal.

Best coach: Marco Van Basten
He’s the youngest coach around and he still looks like he could play a match or two at the highest level. Look at his physical appearance! Ruud should emulate him then maybe he can score more goals for MU come the next season (If Sir Alex allows it).

Best national anthem: Italia and Germany
Italy’s national anthem is very catchy and from the way Gattuso sings it, I feel like singing it too. Germany’s anthem is more solemn but the tune instils a sense of patriotism which is palpable since practically the whole stadium is singing it.

Best stadium: Munich and Berlin
Munich’s stadium is an architectural wonder (Lucky Bayern Munich) while the Olympiastadion’s history speaks volumes about its structure.

Best young player: Cesc Fabregas
Though Podolski won the inaugural award, I feel that Fabregas would have won had Spain gone past the 2nd round stages. For a 19-year old, he has a great future ahead of him. Lucky Arsenal but good news for Spain too!

Most entertaining team: Ghana
Their interplay passes at the edge of the box were excellent but alas, the same can’t be said about their finishing. Sign for the future in South Africa 2010 perhaps?

Most dramatic team: Australia
The game against Japan was won by goals within the last 8 minutes. The final group game against Croatia was a gritty 2-2 draw with Kewell securing progress to the 2nd round with a late equalizer. The 2nd round game v Italy seemed to be destined for extra time till Lucas Neill supposedly fouled Grosso in the penalty box. Not to mention, they bought their ticket to Germany by beating Uruguay through penalties. Enough said.

Most memorable match: Italy v Usa, Portugal v Holland
De Rossi’s elbow against McBride, Zaccardo’s own goal, red cards galore!
Red cards again (4 this time!) but the most memorable (and hilarious) moment was when the TV showed Deco and Van Bronckhorst sitting dejectedly together after they were both red-carded! I couldn’t help laughing at the Barcelona team-mates. Haha.

Other memorable moments:
1. Rooney stomping on Carvalho’s groin and pushing clubmate Ronaldo.
2. A Spain supporter being told he couldn’t play his drum when Spain was cruising past Ukraine.
3. Becks puking on the field when playing against Ecuador. Later, he told reporters that Roberto Carlos had sms-ed him earlier to score a freekick for him.
4. Henry acting like he got punched in the face after Puyol “fouling” him. Best Actor Award.
5. Japan scoring a goal past a shell-shocked Brasil.

Notable players in the tournament (virtually unknown before)
1. Franck Ribery – Aside from the nasty scar on his face, he is proving to be stepping into Zidane’s shoes.
2. Stephen Appiah – Ghana’s captain and midfield maestro.
3. Philipp Lahm – Catapulted himself onto the world stage when he scored the 1st goal of the WC.

Best looking players (I am a girl, nonetheless)
1. Fabio Cannavaro - Italy
2. Ebi Smolarek – Poland
3. Sebastian Kehl – Germany
4. Philip Degen – Switzerland
5. Xabi Alonso, Raul, David Villa – Spain
6. Roque Santa Cruz – Paraguay
7. Kim Kallstrom – Sweden
8. Paulo Ferreira, Tiago – Portugal

9. Frank Lampard - England

Guess that’s all I can think about at the moment. The big finale will get underway in less than 3 hours. Italia v France. A repeat of the Euro 2000 final of which France emerged victorious. Who will it be this time around? Cannavaro against Zidane? Either one most likely to win the Golden Ball when this tournament finishes. Sad to say, I will be suffering from football withdrawal syndrome starting from tomorrow onwards. EPL doesn’t begin till August!!! May the best team wins! Germany 2006, you rock!