Nuah..

4 movies in 4 days..haven't had this record in a long while..

Heh..it's the first week of my hols and i can totally get used to it..my 'sideline' was well..sidelined for this week so it's been eat, sleep and nuah mostly..wahaha..

I think i can see myself 'retiring' and doing this in 10 yrs' time..

Sch Friends

I devoted 2 paras in my reflection essays on my coursemates..interesting mix..can't get anymore variety in a mixed nuts pack..

Like I mentioned sometime somewhere..most people are more interested in my 'social wellbeing' than my academic progress when it comes to my school life..Well,i guess i do have a few friends in sch..i mean, we sit together together during classes and we do grp assignments together..so we're friends right?

Ya..as i always tell most people..i have an evil twin. I dunno why people call her my twin when she looks nothing like me, and speaks in a crisp australian accent. Oh, and she thinks all cats are evil -.- Her fave phrase to me? "不要欺骗无辜的少女" Nothing surprising..other than the fact that she is hopeless in Mandarin(she orders 菜饭 in ang moh at the sch canteen)

Then i have a hokkien lian friend(so-named by twink). She speaks in well..perfect hokkien lian accent. She usually sits behind me and evil twin..and in 7 out of 10 classes, she will ask 'what does _____ mean?' My evil twin will try to explain in perfect english and half the time, hokkien lian will not understand..then i will step in with some hokkien/singlish translation and true enough, she will go 'Orhhh...i know liao!'

What is 'interesting' about hokkien lian is her age..or rather the age gap between us. I knew she was young(21..omg!!), but it never really hit me until..


Incident #1
ZXL: U want a (chewing) gum?
Hokkien lian: Is that a sweet? Can swallow one?
ZXL: No lah..it's a gum!
Hokkien lian: I dunno mah..
(later out of curiosity i went to check when was the sale of gum banned in sg..it was the year she was born..and i was already in sec sch)

Incident #2
ZXL: Lets go Paulaner to celebrate last day of sch!
Hokkien Lian: Paulaner? What's the age limit? Can i go?
ZXL: *Fainted*

It's the hols!

Can't rem the last time i was so happy the hols came rolling..not even in uni days i think..since i treated my uni days as a looooong holiday..haha

There're a number of things i kept saying i wanna do..but i think i'll end up doing 20% of them..wahaha..

As most people already by now..i had to write a reflection paper on how my life changed over the past 3 months(with reference to the course of cos)..at first i thought oh shit, how to have 3000 words based on that? But guess wat? I exceeded it..haha..

Was thinking of posting it here..for posterity's sake..but then again, it's 3000 words..let me see if i can abstract some stuff out..

Post-Oct

Looking back(today's 1st), i think Oct had been a good month..

Of cos, Oct has always been good..considering it's my birth month ^___^  At this day and age(literally) I received surprisingly quite a no of presents this year..4 tees, 2 vouchers and counting...tanks ah peepur!

& in between squeezing out 4 essays and 3 presentations, I also did 5 sch progs and 2 nite rides..not forgetting attending a retro concert, birthday meetups close to midnight, trying to 'escape' from locked rooms..i feel tired listing all the things i've done in one month!

Wow wow wow..i'm quite impressed by myself..of cos, all these came at an expense: 我老了不少！！

My white hairs popped out at such an alarming rate, even my hairdresser grew concerned..好像多了很多白头发。。白的快要比黑的多了！

And no less than 2 pple have commented 'you looked much more tired..even haggard these days'

Wat can i say..

Hibernating in progress...

Didn't realise i was hibernating..then a msg came floating across the continents : Are u very busy? U have not talk here for a long time..

Considering this msg came from someone who is on my all-time-top-3 persons whom i communicate with..i guess it really means i was in social hibernation..

Too many stuff stuffed in my shrinking brain these days..too lazy to make the effort to clear some space required for social interaction..other than those in the default list(these days it's the sat nite routine of rushing through dinner to catch a movie, be it the 7pm show or 945pm show)

I replied the msg with a virtual diarrhoea of sorts..work, school work, home work, cat work..and she replied with a photo of her apple tree in bloom..

Ahh..but i know she was listening..

Holidays!

Yes! It's holidays for me this week! What better way to start my holiday than to plan my next holiday..wahaha

Am really feeling quite glad now..i'm finally feeling 'not sick' anymore. Have been sick for almost whole of sep, to the point i started to suspect i have dengue due to fluctuating temperatures, body aches, lethargy and all..my body just couldn't self-repair (maybe this is how fed feels..when the flesh is really weaker than the mind as time goes - damn fustrating)

My appetite was gone, barely eating 60% of my normal volume...energy level dropped so much i took naps at every chance...body aching so badly i couldnt work out at all..

Just received a text from Fish, on fine motorskills vs gross motorskills (u would think that for 2 pple who are 10000 miles & 8 timezones apart, we'll have more 'important' things to say) These days our conversations revolve mostly on school work, lousy lecturers, dead braincells..well, one consolation is we'll graduate at the same time(holidays again!)

For now, lets forget that i need to spit out some 15000 words for my essays in the next 2 weeks..

Nostalgia

It doesn't keep people from looking ahead and planning for the future - it helps give them strength to move forward.

~ Straits Times(21 Aug 13)

August..

Just as we enter the second half of Aug and i'm beginning to sweat...not from the weather, but from stress? (ZXL stressed?? Rather unheard of...)

Anyway..sch's started..and most of my wonderful friends* are concerned about one thing: Did I make any friends? Hmm..so much faith in my socialising skills *.* (So I never really understood why someone would call me a 'social butterfly')

Well...got 1 or 2 lor..as I tried to explain, I have yet to met someone the same age as me. So far, closest I've got so far is 5 years younger or 4 years older(yea, age does matters to me) and because I have my own transport, I tend to 'disappear' straight after class(yea, anti-social..I know). I'm sure if I were to take public transport, I'd have much more interaction time with my coursemates, given how far away from civilisation we are.

A rare few(maybe 80/20) will ask how am I coping academically..the truth is: not gd, not gd at all!

6 modules, 15 assignments(8 with APA format, omg!), 12 weeks.

A sample of my readings:

 

 

Like what 2 shades darker said over prata buffet(omg again!) all these are interesting knowledge to know, but to study them..wooh, gd luck to me!

I've calculated: 20 online hours + 20 offline hours = 40 hours. That's like a full-time job..a fact which is drummed into us repeatedly - you get full-time pay, you do full-time studies.

Add to that equation a booming business(ok I exaggerate a bit, but hey, business is really not too bad), i'm seriously breaking out in a sweat..

Chill..chill..

*more or less the same pple who asked what did I wear during my sch attachment... -.-

Summer in Macau 2013

I'm such a 'consistent' person..was just telling fish how many bds I counted in these 2 weeks..of cos, one of it is hers(& thanks to twinky who helped to shop for her present even though she was feeling groggy)

First, I must rant(again) how much the airfares cost me this trip..never since the full-fare/full-service flight I took n years ago when SQ was the only carrier and there were no such things as budget airlines have I paid soooo much for an air tic to Macau..but of cos, this was the long weekend and half of sg was flying off to somewhere(there was at least 100 pax in front of me at the airport checkin counter at 5am)

It was a new, and yet not-so-new experience this time..new cos this is the first time I've been to macau in summer; i've been there during winter, spring, but never summer. It's also the first time i'm staying in a different place..fish's new house to be exact.

Maybe it's the fact that it's summer..we walked a lot this time..as in walking on the streets with no particular destination in mind..we didn't even really step into shops or malls..we did so much walking that I felt we were like the characters in 'Before Midnight' (oh, I love the series)

We were just walking..sometimes talking, sometimes in silence..what did we talk about? I dunno..everything? anything? Some are frivolous things like which movie did she catch recently..some are 'technical' topics like how to calculate the max heart rate(no hor, not the 220 minus age formula)..some are 'sensitive' issues like dealing with her 'becoming-OCD-sister'

Anyway, thanks for :

- Going for a bike ride with me(though I suspect she's just as 'gian', if not more, 'gian' than me to ride)

- Arranging the bike ride timing such that we could catch the sunset(though I suspect she's also very 'gian' to catch the nightview, which is erm, after the sunset?)

- Having my teh ready when I wake up in the morning(somehow I suspect she was afraid I will fall asleep halfway)

- Waiting for my flight to take off before leaving the airport(somehow she was afraid I will not be able to board my flight cos I went in during 'final call')

Next up..graduation tour summer 2014 :)


p.s. HB fish!

A recap..

http://zxlagain.blogspot.com/2007/08/august.html

Summer 2013

As usual..it was a hectic Jul & Aug(though Aug is just 1/3 through)..

Think I ever mentioned this before..these 2 months are always hectic partly due to the fact that lots of friends whose birthdays fall within this period...which means it's an 'annual ritual'..

For the past 3 years, I've been (literally) flying around the world to celebrate some birthdays..nono..dun get me wrong, i'm not complaining...just the irony of the fact that the 2 of more significance are the ones miles away from me..

Well, at least it's Mission Accomplished for summer 2013!

Heng ah..

After 3 weeks in a 'mainstream office'..i concluded one thing  - I can still fit into my 'mainstream office clothes' (at least those that have not grown mouldy)

On the very first morning, I woke up in a panic - I've not worn these clothes for ages! What if I couldn't fit into them?

But..heng ah!

The grass is greener on the other side..?

Ever since I've decided to 'take the plunge' (nope, sorry to disappoint, i'm not going to elope yet) and 'quit' my job..i feel that business has been better than ever(maybe my horoscope is true..it's a good year for business expansion)

Has been engaging in a lot of such bird talk over this topic lately..do we stay in our current field and try for expansion..or do we change field totally??

Well I suppose whichever it is..there's always a bit of the grass is always greener on the other side..BUT I can start sowing seedlings on my side and hopefully, they can bloom into a beautiful garden in the future..yea?

Ha..such an optimistic post!

I wanna hold your hand!

And she just grabbed my hand..Woah..i got a shock..girls these days really so direct huh..

I barely know her..or maybe i gave her a wrong signal..i put my hand on her shoulder for a split second earlier on..

I don't really mind her holding my hand..but erm..she's really not too tall..so i have to bend over a little..afterall, she's barely 1m tall..

She's my student's sister lah..barely over 3 yrs old..

See - Feel - Touch

A dinner conversation:

What is your order of preference in having/looking out for a partner? Does it change over time? Will it differ if it's just a fling? What if it's a life partner?

The JMs never fail to amuse me..

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"

~I Like

Another unscheduled half-day off..

means more literary diarrhoea..

Continuing from one of the previous posts about the reactions of my friends on my new van..here's another set for this particular photo:

 

 

SSC friend #1 : OMG, is that Meng?? Looks different..

SSC friend #2: You mean you're still in contact with Meng..??

SSC friend #3: What is Meng doing now?


Yess...almost all are more interested in Meng(the person), not the new nor old van..

Yess...I still meet Meng and I think i'm the only person to still meet her..

Yess..it's 'strange' that I keep in touch with Meng, the 'strange' colleague..but then, who(in the SSC group) is not 'strange'..?!

The after-effects of a 'never-really-train-but-die-die-wanna-go' trek

I think this is a little too gross for fb..already i'm sharing tmi..wouldn't want to force the world to see my toes too..

First my poor 4th toe bruised.. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then the toenail 'dangled' precariously..

 



And now..i just have a naked 4th toe.. *.*

Suddenly..

I have a whole day free..It wasn't even planned..it was 上面的安排（aka the haze)

After working everyday non-stop since the sch hols started..it feels a little weird..

I started thinking what I should do..since I had compiled a list of 'to-dos' over the past fortnight..& of cos, I ended up doing..nothing..

And when too many incoherent thoughts gathered..I had to get them out of my system..so I started 'talking'..

By talking, I mean I messaged people I know who are unlikely to respond..people in different timezones..7 hours behind(thus still sleeping)..2 hours ahead(but with unstable connection, thus also unlikely to reply)

And when i'm done 'talking' to other people..i start talking to myself..via my blog..

But I've been staring at this page for the past 10 mins..

I think it's the laptop..somehow i'm not so inspired by this laptop..think it's too big..i don't like big things..it's no secret I like small things..

Oh talk about big things..i had 2 encounters with big(literally) people recently..both not-good..and so, my prejudice against big people shall continue..

Such random thoughts

It's a free world man..

A few incidents recently affirmed what is the trait I abominate most in people - opinionated.

Sure..it's a free world out there..just as you can say what you like..i can ignore what i want..

Same pic..different responses :

 

#1. Fish: Did you strike lottery?

#2. 0.5: Like Colgate and Colgate Total

#3. CAL:Fat, fatter, fattest?!

The friends i have..*.*

p.s. Its name is 'xin bai', as christened by 0.5 :)

v_v

What a day..received 3 piece of not-so-good news in a single morning...

Let me look through my drafts and see if there's any good news to cheer myself up..

Suddenly..

..i feel stressed..

Think i've got too many hats on lately..making my head a bit too heavy(for my liking)..and my actions seemingly have far-reaching effects..hmm..

It hit me when i took 4 consecutive phonecalls..each relating to a different agenda..

Time to remove some hats..

It's a beautiful nite..we're looking for something dumb to do..

This was the 'theme' song when we came down from the mountains..

Maybe it was the mountain air..maybe it was listening to Cheer live..maybe it was the good teh peng..maybe it was the badminton game..

I'm starting to believe it's a good year for horse afterall..

I've been waiting for this moment..

Lounging at a beachfront resort..alternating between my book and blogging down random thoughts..with an ice cold beer on the side..and a whole afternoon of nothing to look forward to(literally)

As my bird family says..it's chill to the max!

I hate it

Everyone who knows me well enough knows i hate/don't really believe in insurance..

On the rare occasion that i have to deal with insurance..it just cements the fact that i can't trust them..

Some people will think that i'm just being biased - i don't deny that and i don't need to justify that.

In any case, recently i had to deal with multiple parties over one small thing..and the most annoying person i had to deal with turned out to be from the insurance company...

Leeway Moments

Wei - (noun) pal for 20 yrs, usually blur, mostly no-sense-of-direction

In a span of 5 days, i had 2 classic Wei moments:

#1 - I (accidentally) had a bowl of vinegar-filled 'volcano ramen'. I told her 'it's very sour leh', she gave me an incredulous look 'no, it's just salty'. I insisted 'no, it's really sour'

2 mouths of sour ramen later..

Bingo! I confirmed for sure it's not my tastebuds malfunctioning..My dear Wei had used the same bowl, in which she had poured clear vinegar(at least 2 tablespoonsful)for the gyoza, to serve me her volcano ramen - no wonder it's freaking sour!!

>.<


#2 - I had just said 'Hi' to a male acquaintance during dinner. Wei then asked 'your sec sch fren ah?' I replied no.

2 mouths of ipoh horfun later..

We looked at each other..Wei was from the same sec sch as me, and it's an ALL-GIRLS sch..

*.*

"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best," and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called. ~A.A. Milne

So it's true..

Was looking through some photos taken recently..

Hmm..i've indeed lost weight..and tanned 2 shades pinkier..

3 years..

Over the past week or so..i've signed away..3 years of my life..3 years of my money..

My laptop

It's 'next time' already(as mentioned in my previous blog)..i'm very free now mah..

My dear laptop has been in & out of hospital since last year..first, i got a friend to check it out and replaced some parts..it worked..for a while

Then came CNY spring cleaning(it's relevant)..i dug up some trash, some treasure - such as my warranty for my laptop & it's still valid!

Of course, i then sent it back to HP(the brand of my laptop) and then got referred to Courts(the place where i bot my laptop) and then got referred again to i-dunno-where(the place where all the servicing is outsourced)

Till today..more than 6 weeks later, i'm told 'still waiting for the parts'

Anyway, i just wanna explain why my blog entries these days are so 'short & sweet'..cos i hate typing on my (next-to-die-on-me)phone

Oh well..

I've been 'forced'..

..to take a (longer) break.

No doubt, I had planned a trip to my KL refuge after a mad march..

Still, i had bought the 530pm coach tic so that i can still have my usual 3 Sat sessions..Alas, ALL 3 sessions got rained out *.*

And since i'm still laptop-less(more on that next time), i had purposely gone to get a loan set..intending to clear some work here in KL. I had checked that the laptop came with MS Office(i clicked and it appeared on the list), and then...when i tried to use it, i realised nothing could launch...not MS Word, not MS Excel..not even PDF

-.-"

I've been working 'too hard'..

..either that..or i'm whining too much..

Enough for a fish to check on me every other few days..and a certain someone to tell me 'Stop taking on more jobs!'

Today I learnt..

That i lost weight.

I saw many many people last night..and without fail, they will say 'You lost weight!', whether they last saw me 1 month ago, or 1 year ago, or 1 lifetime ago.

Not sure if it's a good or bad thing and if i should/can do something about it.

Today I learnt..

#1 - I have a flat spine..whatever that means. It is not a good thing and i can't do anything about it.

#2 - I am not metrosexual enough..whatever that means. Not sure if it's a bad thing and if i should/can do something about it.

-

It's one of those periods where i have a million things on my mind..

There are not too many expression outlets for me..thought i'll msg some humans..then realised one is 8 timezones away..one is whizzing away in & out of Sg(in an ambulance no less) and yet a couple more out of Sg.. 

So i turned to my next alternative -

Dug up from n months ago..

在那段感情过后， 已经得到更成熟的自己。。是因为这个原因， 才不会有触景伤情的负面效果， 眼前所见， 心中所想， 都是温柔美丽

~ 吴若权

 

Feels good..

.. to bond with people through sports..body is aching like hell but the feeling is damn shiok!

It's not about having a life without regrets..

...it's learning to live a life with regrets..

Mind . Body . Soul

1 month ago..on 15/1/13, i scribbled :

Detox - Mind, body & soul

1 month later..on 15/2/13, i feel:

Exhausted - Mind, body & soul

I have outdone myself..

I have 32 drafts saved..ranging from one-liners to long 'essays'...though most of them are just 1 or 2 short paras of rantings..

They're not published..yet..as i think some of them are rather 'raw'..literally n figuratively..

Whether they will eventually see 'cyber-light'..oh well..who knows..who cares..