Monday Eve

So instead of scrumptious, heartwarming and steaming bowl of soup, I woke up instead to a really, really salty pot of salted vege soup with too much salted vege in it. I attempted to patch up the mess by scooping out half the soup and some of the salted vege, and adding half a pot of water and the egg that I had accidentally broken this morning - oh yes my kitchen's a haven for botched culinary projects - and gave it another two hours.

Two hours have passed by and Version 1.5 tastes exactly the same as Version 1.0. I ended up stealing Housemate David's bread from the oven for dinner. I knocked on his door twice and he didn't answer, so I figured if he's going to be unconscious I might as well have his bread. At some point I'll have to kick his door open and douse him with cold water to ask him if he's ever going to take his laundry out of the washing machine, but I shall wait another twenty minutes and hope he gets up. Man that guy can sleep.

The weekend has been great. My parents were here, bringing a month's supply of fruits and sundries and lots of love. I did still go for dragonboating, while they went shopping, and currently I am aching all over with the intensive training that they had because next week's a major race. On the way back to the shore the coach pulled a trick on us and made all the paddlers change places, from left to right and vice versa, forcing me to paddle on my left side, hence my whole body's hurting like a bitch. Everywhere, from my arms to my shoulders to my back to the bruises on my hips and knees - except my waist, which is where the pain is supposed to be. Fuck this shit.

This weekend I've also been thinking about Project Lalala Europa (What? It's catchy!). After some soul-searching with my primary school pal SY through MSN, I realized that the chances of me actually making it to Europe next summer is pretty slim. With my current financial status, a.k.a. I have a vague idea that I'm very broke but am not sure how broke I really am, and the fact that I don't know how much I actually have, warrants some serious revamp on my financial management techniques. I mean, I just withdrew S$100 two days ago. Now I am left with 20 bucks. I honestly do not know where the money went to. Damn. And I found a $10 in my jeans pocket today morning. Yay!

So anyway. 开源节流。Meaning that I should seek out new sources of funding, and save on what I already have, i.e. work very hard to get my post-confirmation pay raise asap/find a research sponsor/submit a paper to a conference in Europe, and stop spending money on snacks and alcohol. That's ancient Chinese wisdom for you, all in four words.

Also part of my Project Europa regime is no more impulse ticket buying. I very nearly bought a ticket to Tawau for next year, because Airasia's having its zero airfare promotion. I sent a mass email to Yuen, Skinny David and Tony Twentytwo to notify them of the promotion, figuring that if someone else bought the tickets I might get some vicarious pleasure from them and thus getting it out of my system. My warped sense of logic did not work. Then I texted Asa in a desperate plea to tell her to tell me not to buy the ticket. She told me to tell her to resist telling me to buy the ticket. Obviously she does not play the angel very well. *shakes head in disapproval*

Then my rational, boring PhD student side told my crazy, impulsive backpacker side to snap out of it, as the trip did not only involve a one-off payment of S$51, but also follow up expenses of accommodation, food, tours, and time taken off work for travel planning and actual travelling... and that I should stop sabotaging my already slim chances of going to Europe. So in the end I bit my lip, took a deep breath, and closed the window. Saved. But that's going to be Rule #1 under Project Europa. No more unneccessary ticket buying.

Rule #2. Work hard like there is no tomorrow to speed up completion of confirmation report, for the money, and for the peace of mind. I have also put my CS profile up for hosting. My co-supervisor recommends me to "start doing intensive fieldwork, as soon as possible". My supervisor agrees. I have been eyeing my message box like a hawk but there has been no requests at all. I thought it was really hard to get hosts in this little red dot. Maybe I was wrong about it.

Rule #3. Eat properly, rest properly, so that I can work properly. I shall end this post now, because tomorrow will be a brand new day for hard work. And work hard I shall!