I am surrounded by wise (and crazy) people.

Sometimes I get too wrapped up, too lost in my little world, too engrossed in the mess of things. These are the times when I pull my hair, with the tangled web of pros and cons in my perplexed face. The mix and match of solutions, weighing the probability of me dying a slow and thirsty (but frugal) death.... the usual stuff.

Then I seek out LL and Asa because they are my mind-clones, minus the clutter, and they are able to tell me what I want. You want to go to the Burning Man, says LL. I go, really? You think so? Everyone else thinks it's a crazy idea! Follow your heart, she says. Thus a light shines through the dark clouds and I realize that it is the only thing that will make me happy - a week-long camping trip in a desert in Nevada, in a temporary city constructed by 50,000 people (of questionable sanity).

Then I realize that logistically, it is quite impossible for me to just buy a ticket and show up there. For one, I have never pitched a tent, in my life. I have yet to buy a tent, actually. Secondly, I don't think 35 litres of water will fall from the sky, unless it's one helluva climate change that we're talking about, and I have no feasible means to transport food and water (5l per day) into the desert. Unless I enrol myself into a tour group, and they will take care of food, water and transport. And presumably help me with my tent. Which will take USD520 out of my Miniscule Student Budget (MSB), sans tent expenses.

I sink into deep and dark depression again.

Thus I knock on Asa's MSN door. Asaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, I go. Yo! she answers. Tell me to spend USD520 on the desert trip! I implore her. After running through some details, with me pulling anguished faces at my laptop, she calmly asks me, In your lifetime, how often will you get to camp in the desert for a week? I reflect for a second and decide, not often i guess. Then she says, how many USD350 (difference between taking a tour and not taking a tour) can you earn in your lifetime?"

I am struck by a bolt of simple logic and wonder how much permanent damage the PhD has done to my head. Damn you, institutions of higher learning!

So after sending an email to the tour agency, I cross my fingers that they still have availability, and regain my peace of mind, somewhat. A call from my mum comes in. We talk about mundane stuff (swine flu and random mother-daughter gossip) and I bring up my decision to take a tour to the desert. A little pensively. I agree fully with Xin Fu (she calls Asa that)! She goes. This is a good chance for you! Don't worry about the money, just go!

Sometimes I do think my mum is the coolest mum on earth.

Also, that I am surrounded by wise (and crazy) people.

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Another random snippet of conversation

ling says:
ahahha like popeye
ahaha
the sailor man
pi pi!!
*Jun-E says:
ei is pi pi meh
not pu pu?
ling says:
ahaha
i thought is pi pi mar
*Jun-E says:
ahaahahahahha
ling says:
ahaha is pu pu arr~~??
ahaha paiseh paiseh
*Jun-E says:
our conversation damn funny lah hahahaha
i have to blog about this

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Was it "pi pi" or "pu pu"?