I am home. It's fantastic. My eyes are half open/half closed, depending if you're an optimist, but I will ramble a little bit because I haven't felt so free and unrepressed in a while. Yes I brought some sheets of writing back to collate. And yes I can't be arsed to do it now.
It's great to be back in KL. The last time I was back was during Chinese New Year. Since then I've been hit by wave after wave of work, and if I didn't come back this time, the next time would be three months later, after my Europe trip and the confirmation defense. Asa would already be in Brisbane. I would already be different, as all my long travel stints tend to change me substantially in one way or another. In New Zealand I started hitchhiking. In the States I became a vegetarian. I wonder what Europe would have in store for my ongoing evolution.
Speaking of Europe, Val's going to be there when I go! He quitted Australia and is probably on his way back on a plane right this moment. I got the news when I was in depths of despair with some concepts that refused to work, and I only glanced very absently at the text that came in, from a number that I didn't recognize. The next second I was laughing and waving my cell phone and jumping around in the office and poking Kristy.
It's going to be so awesome, I anticipate a lot of beer-guzzling and German-spotting. (He's German. She's German. That dog's German too. How does he do that??) And we'll see Marten again and reminisce over the good old days, and come up with new running gags, because that's what we do. (But the whales! Think about the whales!)
I've also confirmed a detour from Paris to Strasbourg to see Linda. The train tickets that she booked for me (you get cheaper tickets if you buy from the official site and of course it had to be in French) only cost 55Euros both ways so it's not too bad. I'm really looking forward to seeing her again, and being shown around by a local and staying with her family.
So much about Europe. I haven't had time to plan the actual things to do at all although I know I should. But writing has taken up most of my time, and will continue to occupy me until the 11th hour, I think. The only thing that I really need to do is to plan on how to fit my entire wardrobe for 2 months, my toiletries, my sleeping bag, a netbook (which I have yet to acquire) and miscellaneous stuff (flip flops for example) into my trusty 32litre backpack, under 10kg. That means that every item that goes into the bag has to be essential, and versatile in usage, and I probably can't buy anything on the way. Of course the other option is to post stuff back home whenever my pack gets too crazy full. I've a feeling that I'll use this option at least once, to send my formal clothes back after the conference is done. Speaking of which, I haven't prepared for my presentation! Rats.
Anyway, I should go now, a long day ahead tomorrow to run various errands. I leave you with Sufjan Stevens who's playing a part in keeping me sane in these incredibly stressful times.
Sufjan Stevens: Decatur, Or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother!
Showing posts with label lalala-europa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lalala-europa. Show all posts
-39: Break in times of crisis.
I am quite fucked. I am way behind schedule, I need to churn out A LOT of stuff, I don't even know how much time I've got now (-39 is actually an overestimate because I need to finish it way before then) and I don't actually have a backup plan besides letting the paper write itself - and we all know how that's going to turn out (advice from JK Rowling - never trust anything with a mind of its own).
NERVOUS BREAKDOWN #38342128492.
So what do I do? I happily go on a spending spree buying train and air tickets. I have finished all the connections except one between Verona and St Gallen, and while waiting for the Internet banking statements to register, I estimate a spending of less than SGD1,500 (I think about SGD1,300 1,100 would be just about right) which is really not that bad. In the stack of e-tickets that I have are tickets of train (2, incl. a night train couchette yeah!), bus (2), flight (5) and ferry (1) connections. Too much flying, the flying's gotta stop!
Now what's left to do is to figure out how to pack for 2 months with only a 32litre backpack and a small day pack, since I have like 3 flights that I did not pay for check in luggage. After realizing that it costs a bomb to check in luggage (20 Euros each) I decided that it would make more sense to travel very lightly.
Actually - now what's left to do is to figure out how to write the insurmountable number of words with finesse and coherence and still emerge from all this smelling like roses. *deep self-affirming breath* I can do it I can do it I can do it. If I don't all this money will be wasted and THAT IS NOT AN OPTION. I can do it I can do it I can do it.
NERVOUS BREAKDOWN #38342128492.
So what do I do? I happily go on a spending spree buying train and air tickets. I have finished all the connections except one between Verona and St Gallen, and while waiting for the Internet banking statements to register, I estimate a spending of less than SGD1,500 (I think about SGD
Now what's left to do is to figure out how to pack for 2 months with only a 32litre backpack and a small day pack, since I have like 3 flights that I did not pay for check in luggage. After realizing that it costs a bomb to check in luggage (20 Euros each) I decided that it would make more sense to travel very lightly.
Actually - now what's left to do is to figure out how to write the insurmountable number of words with finesse and coherence and still emerge from all this smelling like roses. *deep self-affirming breath* I can do it I can do it I can do it. If I don't all this money will be wasted and THAT IS NOT AN OPTION. I can do it I can do it I can do it.
-42: Sunday Travel Planning
Sunday morning - I am awake at 7:30am, I have no idea why, because I went to bed around 2am. Technically I can go to dragonboat training, but I suppose it is too late now, plus the time for commuting. So I suppose I shall stick around at home today, and continue my travel planning and sending CS requests, and perhaps even read a bit. It's Sunday man. Although there is still pressure building up I suppose I can afford some rest once in a while. I am trying not to freak out at -42. Tonight I am going for a poetry reading thing with Laura, my CSer from Italy. It is going to be in NTU and is held by a bunch of academics, whose "poetry writing is lesser known" than their academic prowess. It doesn't get nerdier than this.
//11:44am
So I'm doing the planning for Europe. It is rather confusing with all the choices and permutations. I am currently working on the transport connections - on one hand I feel like just getting a rail pass and that would lead us down to figuring out the routes that don't require booking ('coz booking fees apply and I'd like my Eurail pass to cost a nett price instead of all the add-ons), and to figure out what countries I really need to be part of my Select Pass.
I had pretty much decided on getting a rail pass a few weeks back, but today I have been thinking that I actually don't need one. True I would have to figure out every single point to point connection and book it way in advance, which means that I will have less flexibility to deviate from my pre-established route, but then again I don't have so much flexibility anyway because I already have people to meet along the way and it's not like I can just fly off to some random country and spend a few days there. Laura recommended that, but perhaps I will do it the next time I get to Europe when I have less plans. It sounds so fun! Yay for impulse tickets!
But back to the connections. If I don't take a rail pass, the options are blown wide open and I'm then looking at rail, coaches, flights and ferries. If I can I'd like to take a ferry from Tallinn to Stockholm, just for the heck of it. And there are so many different websites to check out, to compare prices, and I have no idea which ones are legit... I mean, can you trust an airline that calls itself Wizz Air? (Insert juvenile joke) I did check if it was trustworthy and the reviews are apparently quite shitty. So should I spend double on another airline that's imaginatively named Smart Wings?
//12:15pm
I just checked Smart Wings' reviews and they seem to be equally crap. Then it led me to check this other airline called Sky Europe, which name I am fine with, just that it filed for bankruptcy last year. A few wiki searches later I ended up looking at Wizz Air's wiki page - and apparently it's rated the "European airline most likely to next go bust". Also it has its own hate site: WizzAirSucks.com (tagline: Miserable Customer Service + Screwed Customers = Wizz Air) I guess they're out. But they were bloody cheap though. The flight that I'm trying to score is Prague to Rome. It seems that Smart Wings is the only way to go, not even Eurolines provides that connection.
//1:22pm
I am contemplating taking off Rome (the sacrilege!) and putting in Vienna instead. For one, I'd probably save on transportation because Rome is kinda out of the way - my original plan was Prague - Rome - Verona/Venice - Zurich. Now if I take away Rome and put in Vienna instead, the connections make more sense: Praha - Vienna - Verona/Venice - Zurich. There's no one in particular that I have to meet in Rome, and Vienna is actually the 6th biggest CS city in the world (the 4th in Europe, after Paris, London and Berlin - all of which I am visiting), which is good for my research... decisions decisions!
//1:36pm
OK recap. The route so far:
Berlin
Prague
Vienna
Verona/Venice/north Italy (Laura - and the Dolomites!)
St Gallen (CS Paella Weekend woot!)
Zurich (possible detour to Strasbourg to find Linda)
Tallinn (Silver + Viljandi Folk Music Festival!)
Stockholm (Because the ferry from Tallinn goes here)
Gothenburg (Marten!)
Hamburg (Val in spirit!)
Paris (Vanessa!)
Ireland - not sure which part yet (Robert + cycling trip!)
London
Berlin
//2:18pm
Am considering taking out Hamburg. Val won't be there anyway, so there's no real point... it might be better to just skip to Paris and meet Vanessa straight away. The more detours I make the more it will cost me.
//3pm
Dates are firmed up, I am starting the connection bookings. So far I have got the flight from Zurich to Tallinn, yes! Next down is ferry from Tallinn to Stockholm, and train from Stockholm to Gothenburg; and flight from Gothenburg to Paris!
//4:28pm
Booked =) There are still many connections to be made but I have to rest for a while. Wouldn't want to book flights when I'm feeling sleepy. Let's see - within an hour I went on a spending spree that made me SGD625.99 poorer, and managed to get:
Zurich - Tallinn (Air Baltic); Tallinn - Stockholm (Tallink Silja ferry); Stockholm - Gothenburg (Swedish railway); Gothenburg - Paris (Air Berlin).
I reckon it's not too bad.
//5:58pm
So before I could take a nap Laura came back and we made an unanimous decision to skip the poetry reading, so we did travel planning instead, for her trip in Malaysia and for my trip in Europe. Quid pro quo ^^ And we found that there's actually a Couchsurfer hosting on Perhentian!!
She's on Skype now with her mum so I am continuing this blog post.
//next morning 10am
I totally forgot to post this blog post. Laura got the Perhentian CSer, she's so lucky =D She set off this morning for her week-long adventure and I'm really glad I'm going to see her again in Italy, because she's such a sweet person and is undergoing a rather similar PhD experience as I am. We had eggplant lasagna and Italian wine yesterday for dinner, and mangosteens, durian and rambutans for dessert.
I have to work really really hard now!! *penuh bersemangat*
//11:44am
So I'm doing the planning for Europe. It is rather confusing with all the choices and permutations. I am currently working on the transport connections - on one hand I feel like just getting a rail pass and that would lead us down to figuring out the routes that don't require booking ('coz booking fees apply and I'd like my Eurail pass to cost a nett price instead of all the add-ons), and to figure out what countries I really need to be part of my Select Pass.
I had pretty much decided on getting a rail pass a few weeks back, but today I have been thinking that I actually don't need one. True I would have to figure out every single point to point connection and book it way in advance, which means that I will have less flexibility to deviate from my pre-established route, but then again I don't have so much flexibility anyway because I already have people to meet along the way and it's not like I can just fly off to some random country and spend a few days there. Laura recommended that, but perhaps I will do it the next time I get to Europe when I have less plans. It sounds so fun! Yay for impulse tickets!
But back to the connections. If I don't take a rail pass, the options are blown wide open and I'm then looking at rail, coaches, flights and ferries. If I can I'd like to take a ferry from Tallinn to Stockholm, just for the heck of it. And there are so many different websites to check out, to compare prices, and I have no idea which ones are legit... I mean, can you trust an airline that calls itself Wizz Air? (Insert juvenile joke) I did check if it was trustworthy and the reviews are apparently quite shitty. So should I spend double on another airline that's imaginatively named Smart Wings?
//12:15pm
I just checked Smart Wings' reviews and they seem to be equally crap. Then it led me to check this other airline called Sky Europe, which name I am fine with, just that it filed for bankruptcy last year. A few wiki searches later I ended up looking at Wizz Air's wiki page - and apparently it's rated the "European airline most likely to next go bust". Also it has its own hate site: WizzAirSucks.com (tagline: Miserable Customer Service + Screwed Customers = Wizz Air) I guess they're out. But they were bloody cheap though. The flight that I'm trying to score is Prague to Rome. It seems that Smart Wings is the only way to go, not even Eurolines provides that connection.
//1:22pm
I am contemplating taking off Rome (the sacrilege!) and putting in Vienna instead. For one, I'd probably save on transportation because Rome is kinda out of the way - my original plan was Prague - Rome - Verona/Venice - Zurich. Now if I take away Rome and put in Vienna instead, the connections make more sense: Praha - Vienna - Verona/Venice - Zurich. There's no one in particular that I have to meet in Rome, and Vienna is actually the 6th biggest CS city in the world (the 4th in Europe, after Paris, London and Berlin - all of which I am visiting), which is good for my research... decisions decisions!
//1:36pm
OK recap. The route so far:
Berlin
Prague
Vienna
Verona/Venice/north Italy (Laura - and the Dolomites!)
St Gallen (CS Paella Weekend woot!)
Zurich (possible detour to Strasbourg to find Linda)
Tallinn (Silver + Viljandi Folk Music Festival!)
Stockholm (Because the ferry from Tallinn goes here)
Gothenburg (Marten!)
Hamburg (Val in spirit!)
Paris (Vanessa!)
Ireland - not sure which part yet (Robert + cycling trip!)
London
Berlin
//2:18pm
Am considering taking out Hamburg. Val won't be there anyway, so there's no real point... it might be better to just skip to Paris and meet Vanessa straight away. The more detours I make the more it will cost me.
//3pm
Dates are firmed up, I am starting the connection bookings. So far I have got the flight from Zurich to Tallinn, yes! Next down is ferry from Tallinn to Stockholm, and train from Stockholm to Gothenburg; and flight from Gothenburg to Paris!
//4:28pm
Booked =) There are still many connections to be made but I have to rest for a while. Wouldn't want to book flights when I'm feeling sleepy. Let's see - within an hour I went on a spending spree that made me SGD625.99 poorer, and managed to get:
Zurich - Tallinn (Air Baltic); Tallinn - Stockholm (Tallink Silja ferry); Stockholm - Gothenburg (Swedish railway); Gothenburg - Paris (Air Berlin).
I reckon it's not too bad.
//5:58pm
So before I could take a nap Laura came back and we made an unanimous decision to skip the poetry reading, so we did travel planning instead, for her trip in Malaysia and for my trip in Europe. Quid pro quo ^^ And we found that there's actually a Couchsurfer hosting on Perhentian!!
She's on Skype now with her mum so I am continuing this blog post.
//next morning 10am
I totally forgot to post this blog post. Laura got the Perhentian CSer, she's so lucky =D She set off this morning for her week-long adventure and I'm really glad I'm going to see her again in Italy, because she's such a sweet person and is undergoing a rather similar PhD experience as I am. We had eggplant lasagna and Italian wine yesterday for dinner, and mangosteens, durian and rambutans for dessert.
I have to work really really hard now!! *penuh bersemangat*
-46: Money matters.
LL's birthday wishes to me yesterday suddenly woke me up to the fact that I should probably monitor the currency exchange from now onwards. I'm ashamed to admit that the last time I went to the States I changed the money like a week before I left and had no inkling whatsoever about the currency strength of SGD at that time.
O my frugal Chinese forefathers, I have failed you.
This time I will do a daily monitor on currency graphs. According to XE.com, last October the Euro was at its strongest (relative to SGD), at SGD2.09 per Euro. Right now it appears to be at the weakest so far, since April 2009, at 1.79. In comparison, that's a 15% discount on everything that I buy in Euro! o_O
LL you are truly the beacon of my life, the opener of my eyes.
Skipping dragonboat training today to continue writing. I think I am finally on a roll =)
O my frugal Chinese forefathers, I have failed you.
This time I will do a daily monitor on currency graphs. According to XE.com, last October the Euro was at its strongest (relative to SGD), at SGD2.09 per Euro. Right now it appears to be at the weakest so far, since April 2009, at 1.79. In comparison, that's a 15% discount on everything that I buy in Euro! o_O
LL you are truly the beacon of my life, the opener of my eyes.
Skipping dragonboat training today to continue writing. I think I am finally on a roll =)
-55: Tangan gatal.
You know how it always happens that I declare a hiatus and suddenly become even more prolific in my posting, or I say that I want to stop the daily post thing and still do a daily post? Somehow there's this rebellious me operating within the self that makes me do all these things.
The ticket-booking situation is still in a limbo, I actually booked the tickets, couldn't pay through my debit card, ended up choosing the bank transfer option and changing my mind 'coz my bank charges S$20 extra, then called up the airline try doing the debit card option again and failed, and eventually did an internet transfer omitting my payment reference code. So there's this sum of money that went into the airline account with no link with my booking code. Epic fail. Anyway I called up the airline again to try to make the connection, so hopefully everything will be fine soon. The competence of the call centre girl is dubious but me and Europe will prevail.
In other news, writing seems to be gradually picking up and needless to say I am glad. It is only logical that when you hit rock bottom and have nowhere to go but up. I have a meeting with my co-supervisor tomorrow and we'll bounce ideas. Unfortunately I also discovered today that my school machine loads the Big Bang Theory really quickly, so I broke my resolution and indulged in a few sinful episodes. But I offset that by writing up some research notes when I got home, so it's good.
The ticket-booking situation is still in a limbo, I actually booked the tickets, couldn't pay through my debit card, ended up choosing the bank transfer option and changing my mind 'coz my bank charges S$20 extra, then called up the airline try doing the debit card option again and failed, and eventually did an internet transfer omitting my payment reference code. So there's this sum of money that went into the airline account with no link with my booking code. Epic fail. Anyway I called up the airline again to try to make the connection, so hopefully everything will be fine soon. The competence of the call centre girl is dubious but me and Europe will prevail.
In other news, writing seems to be gradually picking up and needless to say I am glad. It is only logical that when you hit rock bottom and have nowhere to go but up. I have a meeting with my co-supervisor tomorrow and we'll bounce ideas. Unfortunately I also discovered today that my school machine loads the Big Bang Theory really quickly, so I broke my resolution and indulged in a few sinful episodes. But I offset that by writing up some research notes when I got home, so it's good.
-58: Not a good day.
Sigh. I've been trying through various means to book the air tickets to Berlin but I have failed multiple times. Either it is the travel agent website saying that the seats are not available, or that there's something wrong with my card (there isn't - I bought a bus ticket online and it worked) or that the airline website going nuts at the last step of payment. Possibly it is the Iceland volcano situation that is causing all this trouble, or perhaps it's just my shitty luck.
Also I've been trying to write. It is not happening and I am increasingly stressed, as I see that the week is closing, and my word count has stopped at a certain number and has not increased ever since. It is horrible. I realize that I always have to go through a certain mental hurdle before I settle down and words flow, but this time it is taking very long and counting down every day is not helping. I will not be writing over the weekend as I'll be over at HSS playing 10 hours of World of Warcraft as a research participant for Skinny David and Patrick. It seems to be fun but I'm really not in a frame of mind to enjoy that.
More time working, less time worrying!
Also I've been trying to write. It is not happening and I am increasingly stressed, as I see that the week is closing, and my word count has stopped at a certain number and has not increased ever since. It is horrible. I realize that I always have to go through a certain mental hurdle before I settle down and words flow, but this time it is taking very long and counting down every day is not helping. I will not be writing over the weekend as I'll be over at HSS playing 10 hours of World of Warcraft as a research participant for Skinny David and Patrick. It seems to be fun but I'm really not in a frame of mind to enjoy that.
More time working, less time worrying!
-70: Towards Zero.
I actually wrote a really long post, but I just didn't feel it, so I am canning it. I don't know what's wrong with me nowadays but it seems that I have lost my mojo to write. Writing on my blog used to be an enjoyable means of self-expression. Now it just seems to be a chore, with all the words clogged up in my head tumbling out all wrongly. My extensive vocabulary seems to have lost its way in the woods, along with my wit and sense of irony. Everything comes out flat. And this is not the result of too much academic writing, because that is at a virtual standstill too. What is wrong with me??
Anyway, today is the first day of the next 70 days. What's happening after 70 days, you ask. Why, it would be June 20th. And June 20th, jinxes be gone, should be the day when I fly off to Europe, because my conference in Berlin is on the 21st-23rd. I am extremely excited, as you may imagine. But before Berlin, these 70 days will be crazy. Be warned that I will be prone to sob fests and be susceptible to PMS angst to the power of ten. I will stalk around my office like a caged animal and throw my hands towards the heavens demanding why, why, why I'm putting myself through all this stress and Europe probably sucks anyway and I'm going to fail my confirmation report *skiddddddd* TOUCH WOOD.
Anyway. Yeah this is an official account on this blog that I am going to Europe this year. (Yay!!) *resumes serious face* This is also an official announcement that I am going to be good for the following 70 days. I'm going to eat well, sleep well and exercise well, so that my brain remains sharp as a tack to finish my confirmation report two months ahead of the deadline. I'm renouncing the Big Bang Theory for the time being because it fucks up my sleep pattern when I chase one episode after another and google stuff that I don't understand, such as the application of Schrödinger's cat onto should-we-or-should-we-not-date situations. I think I understand it somewhat now but I'm really not sure.
The following months will be exciting. I will be hosting at least 2 CSers despite my crazy schedule. I am going to play 10 hours of World of Warcraft as a research participant. I am organizing a birthday party for myself. I am contemplating the participation of a dragonboat race. I am thinking of going home before I go to Europe. Not to mention I will be constantly refining and adding to my two-month travel itinerary; forming connections between places and with research participants. It will be busy, but exciting, and I need to be focused. There should be ample time for me to work, and play, if I plan it well and not procrastinate or get distracted like I'm prone to.
Alrighty, have some long overdue emails to reply, if you guys are reading my blog rest assured that I am on it. I'm just a really slow writer.
*two minutes later*
Oh yeah had to add this for the record: I think I'm getting the hang of it! Dragonboating I mean. I think my waist muscles are hurting, if that's not my head making things up, and that's a really good sign. And my arms are not hurting as much. Maybe I'll go for Wednesday training this week.
Anyway, today is the first day of the next 70 days. What's happening after 70 days, you ask. Why, it would be June 20th. And June 20th, jinxes be gone, should be the day when I fly off to Europe, because my conference in Berlin is on the 21st-23rd. I am extremely excited, as you may imagine. But before Berlin, these 70 days will be crazy. Be warned that I will be prone to sob fests and be susceptible to PMS angst to the power of ten. I will stalk around my office like a caged animal and throw my hands towards the heavens demanding why, why, why I'm putting myself through all this stress and Europe probably sucks anyway and I'm going to fail my confirmation report *skiddddddd* TOUCH WOOD.
Anyway. Yeah this is an official account on this blog that I am going to Europe this year. (Yay!!) *resumes serious face* This is also an official announcement that I am going to be good for the following 70 days. I'm going to eat well, sleep well and exercise well, so that my brain remains sharp as a tack to finish my confirmation report two months ahead of the deadline. I'm renouncing the Big Bang Theory for the time being because it fucks up my sleep pattern when I chase one episode after another and google stuff that I don't understand, such as the application of Schrödinger's cat onto should-we-or-should-we-not-date situations. I think I understand it somewhat now but I'm really not sure.
The following months will be exciting. I will be hosting at least 2 CSers despite my crazy schedule. I am going to play 10 hours of World of Warcraft as a research participant. I am organizing a birthday party for myself. I am contemplating the participation of a dragonboat race. I am thinking of going home before I go to Europe. Not to mention I will be constantly refining and adding to my two-month travel itinerary; forming connections between places and with research participants. It will be busy, but exciting, and I need to be focused. There should be ample time for me to work, and play, if I plan it well and not procrastinate or get distracted like I'm prone to.
Alrighty, have some long overdue emails to reply, if you guys are reading my blog rest assured that I am on it. I'm just a really slow writer.
*two minutes later*
Oh yeah had to add this for the record: I think I'm getting the hang of it! Dragonboating I mean. I think my waist muscles are hurting, if that's not my head making things up, and that's a really good sign. And my arms are not hurting as much. Maybe I'll go for Wednesday training this week.
I'm not drunk, I just walk funny.
I'm not blogging, I'm just typing in a text area.
My eyes are heavy but I need to type. I need to talk to someone. I need to talk to someone who would understand what I'm thinking, what I'm saying, what I'm doing. I'm sure there is someone out there. I am interesting. I won't bore you. Can I talk to you?
It is amazing what kind of situations your brain sometimes lead you to. In moments of clarity - or moments of drunkenness, take your extreme pick, it suddenly dawns onto you that it is you who is creating all the mess in your head. The chorus of generalized others, all saying things to you, trying to sway your opinion, trying to tell you what's good for you. Well shut the fuck up my head. Just shut the fuck up.
If you think about it things could be so easy. You could take a plunge. You could take a time machine, from twenty years later, back to the present, when you would actually do stuff that you're deathly afraid of, so that you wouldn't regret it twenty years later. Isn't that the most intriguing idea? To live in the present, by imagining that you are travelling back to the past, from the future? Do you understand what I mean?
I'm not sleepy, I'm just resting my eyes.
//Second morning. I actually fell asleep right after I typed the above line.
Val's not a good influence for me I'm afraid. For most of his stay in Singapore he was down with diarrhoea and upon recovery two days ago we have already got drunk twice. Gone are the days when he would decline alcohol (Marten: If I had a beer on me right now, would you take it? Val: No! - well, not anymore).
We spent the day yesterday in Little India, first having Indian food and then hanging out at Post Museum, which has fast become one of my favourite hangouts in Singapore. It's a vegetarian cafe and the people there are super friendly. It's one of the few places in Singapore, where you can sit down and talk to random people. That you can actually feel that people going to the place are human, not humanoids. They're hosting the Really Really Free Market next weekend (where goods and services are offered for free, bring your stuff to give away if you want) and I'm volunteering there.
So Val and I hung out for like 5 hours there, plotting my Europe route. It is definitely shaping up, just that I need to smoothen things out in uni. Once everything is settled I can buy my tickets and my Epic Trip of The Year would be sorted out. Val drew a map of Europe on the back of some newspapers (which is distributed in the Post Museum, called "Good Paper" and it only reports good news. Sweet as.), and we started fantasizing about the things that I'll be doing there.
Day trip from Hamburg to Sylt, one of Val's favourite places in Germany. Going to the Isle of Arran, that a drunken Scottish teacher in a pub in New Zealand had repeatedly mentioned that I have to. (Remember the Isle of Arrrran!!) Hiking in Switzerland. Meeting Silver in Estonia and checking out the Viljandi Folk Music Festival. Taking a train from Rome to Switzerland along a scenic route. Taking the train that goes under the sea from Paris to London. Hanging out with Marten in Gothenburg, and Robert in either Holland or Ireland, depending on where he'll be. Prague, Krakow, Riga. And then some.
Not in that order. And we have no idea if our route is feasible, budget-wise. But still -
*grins in an idiotic fashion*
Well, the floor is open to any of you who want to recommend a must-see place anywhere in Europe, anywhere you like, from the touristy to the obscure. I enjoy culture and nature so this trip will probably be a combination of both.
I'm going to take a nap now and wake up at 10am, our stipulated weekend wake up time, upon which we'll agree on some random activity and end up whiling our time away in a cafe and drinking beer on some padang. Star-gazing on top of the ADM building at night optional.
My eyes are heavy but I need to type. I need to talk to someone. I need to talk to someone who would understand what I'm thinking, what I'm saying, what I'm doing. I'm sure there is someone out there. I am interesting. I won't bore you. Can I talk to you?
It is amazing what kind of situations your brain sometimes lead you to. In moments of clarity - or moments of drunkenness, take your extreme pick, it suddenly dawns onto you that it is you who is creating all the mess in your head. The chorus of generalized others, all saying things to you, trying to sway your opinion, trying to tell you what's good for you. Well shut the fuck up my head. Just shut the fuck up.
If you think about it things could be so easy. You could take a plunge. You could take a time machine, from twenty years later, back to the present, when you would actually do stuff that you're deathly afraid of, so that you wouldn't regret it twenty years later. Isn't that the most intriguing idea? To live in the present, by imagining that you are travelling back to the past, from the future? Do you understand what I mean?
I'm not sleepy, I'm just resting my eyes.
//Second morning. I actually fell asleep right after I typed the above line.
Val's not a good influence for me I'm afraid. For most of his stay in Singapore he was down with diarrhoea and upon recovery two days ago we have already got drunk twice. Gone are the days when he would decline alcohol (Marten: If I had a beer on me right now, would you take it? Val: No! - well, not anymore).
We spent the day yesterday in Little India, first having Indian food and then hanging out at Post Museum, which has fast become one of my favourite hangouts in Singapore. It's a vegetarian cafe and the people there are super friendly. It's one of the few places in Singapore, where you can sit down and talk to random people. That you can actually feel that people going to the place are human, not humanoids. They're hosting the Really Really Free Market next weekend (where goods and services are offered for free, bring your stuff to give away if you want) and I'm volunteering there.
So Val and I hung out for like 5 hours there, plotting my Europe route. It is definitely shaping up, just that I need to smoothen things out in uni. Once everything is settled I can buy my tickets and my Epic Trip of The Year would be sorted out. Val drew a map of Europe on the back of some newspapers (which is distributed in the Post Museum, called "Good Paper" and it only reports good news. Sweet as.), and we started fantasizing about the things that I'll be doing there.
Day trip from Hamburg to Sylt, one of Val's favourite places in Germany. Going to the Isle of Arran, that a drunken Scottish teacher in a pub in New Zealand had repeatedly mentioned that I have to. (Remember the Isle of Arrrran!!) Hiking in Switzerland. Meeting Silver in Estonia and checking out the Viljandi Folk Music Festival. Taking a train from Rome to Switzerland along a scenic route. Taking the train that goes under the sea from Paris to London. Hanging out with Marten in Gothenburg, and Robert in either Holland or Ireland, depending on where he'll be. Prague, Krakow, Riga. And then some.
Not in that order. And we have no idea if our route is feasible, budget-wise. But still -
*grins in an idiotic fashion*
Well, the floor is open to any of you who want to recommend a must-see place anywhere in Europe, anywhere you like, from the touristy to the obscure. I enjoy culture and nature so this trip will probably be a combination of both.
I'm going to take a nap now and wake up at 10am, our stipulated weekend wake up time, upon which we'll agree on some random activity and end up whiling our time away in a cafe and drinking beer on some padang. Star-gazing on top of the ADM building at night optional.
Anywhere but the eye of the storm.
I figure anytime now I will stop being so hyped up about MY PAPER BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE CONFERENCE AT BERLIN and start functioning like a normal human being again?
no caps post
sunday morning and i am sticking around at home hoping to do some reading. well, i will, but as always i need to procrastinate a fair bit first so that i will feel sufficiently guilty to finally start reading. and once i start reading i usually don't stop. but then by that time it will be around evening and i only have a few hours left to read anyway. gosh i'm such an unproductive person.
good news is that my supervisors have approved my research questions and theoretical framework and i am good to go! for people who have witnessed my scowling squinting hair-pulling teeth-baring cheek-puffing fist-clenching anguish (i am a very expressive person) for the past six months, you'll be glad to know that i have finally, finally, managed to come up with something that validates the past year and a half of head-cracking. it feels good. but i know that the feel-good factor will wear out quite soon when i get down on my knees and start collecting literature and stuffing my face with readings, maybe to find out that there are some logical errors in my framework, but i guess i'll never find out unless i start doing the reading, will i?
*contemplates to end this post*
*decides to keep typing*
the past week has been great, i got my breakthrough and was quite ecstatic for most of the week, especially on wednesday when i realized that i finally nailed it. i proceeded to grin like an idiot (as i do) for the entire class that i was assisting at (as a teaching assistant), and entertained myself by drawing comics, something that i have not done for a very long time. then the following day i went out with my canadian cser daniel as a form of celebration. (while telling myself that i will do my readings on sunday instead. sunday's today.)
*contemplates*
*continues typing*
so i am thinking about the stuff that will happen in the next few months. i will see val in exactly two weeks. i am damn bloody excited of course. march is going to be a blur of travel (to kuching) and work. april will be spent entirely on work. may i am going to organize a birthday thing for myself, to celebrate being 27, because 27 is the new 21. (i find that entirely amusing when people say something is the new something. it sounds hip and happening but does not actually mean anything. it just gives you the impression that you are up to date and trendy. which is of course helpful when you're not actually.) may, another month of constant work, but i am hoping to have things pretty much in place by then.
june, july, august - i'm still unsure if i'll be in europe or not, the prospects look good now but i will only know for sure in march whether i get the berlin conference or not. if i do it clinches the deal. if i don't, well, i'll just have to come up with plan b. it's too bad that val and kasia both won't be in europe at that time, because partly why i want to do it is because i want to see europe through their eyes. val may be in australia with his girl, and kasia has got a job in turkey. i am really thrilled for them though, it is fantastic to travel with someone you love, and also wonderful to work in a foreign, exotic country. and it makes me feel happy to know that my friends are actively pursuing their dreams and constantly trying to live a better life, because that is the spirit that everybody should have. and when you're surrounded by people like that, you get inspired and you reach out for what you want as well.
september onwards will be a new semester. i will be presenting my confirmation report and hopefully everything will go according to plan, and i will pass it. and i get an increase in my allowance yay! by this time i will probably be commencing work on my data collection and incubating a new travel plan for the year to come. october, november, december. there goes a year!
wow. pace yourself, it's only february now, albeit the last day of it. ten months ahead, filled with hard work and constant learning, challenging and improving myself. new friends to be made, old friends to catch up with. tears, laughter, anticipation, happiness and heartbreak. floating in a sea of academic literature, enveloping myself in nature's beauty, giving and receiving big hugs. possibly meeting someone, probably not meeting anyone. maybe finally getting the courage to speak to guys that i like. haha. why am i so shy huh.
oh well. i should really start my reading. the journey of thousand miles begins with a single step.
good news is that my supervisors have approved my research questions and theoretical framework and i am good to go! for people who have witnessed my scowling squinting hair-pulling teeth-baring cheek-puffing fist-clenching anguish (i am a very expressive person) for the past six months, you'll be glad to know that i have finally, finally, managed to come up with something that validates the past year and a half of head-cracking. it feels good. but i know that the feel-good factor will wear out quite soon when i get down on my knees and start collecting literature and stuffing my face with readings, maybe to find out that there are some logical errors in my framework, but i guess i'll never find out unless i start doing the reading, will i?
*contemplates to end this post*
*decides to keep typing*
the past week has been great, i got my breakthrough and was quite ecstatic for most of the week, especially on wednesday when i realized that i finally nailed it. i proceeded to grin like an idiot (as i do) for the entire class that i was assisting at (as a teaching assistant), and entertained myself by drawing comics, something that i have not done for a very long time. then the following day i went out with my canadian cser daniel as a form of celebration. (while telling myself that i will do my readings on sunday instead. sunday's today.)
*contemplates*
*continues typing*
so i am thinking about the stuff that will happen in the next few months. i will see val in exactly two weeks. i am damn bloody excited of course. march is going to be a blur of travel (to kuching) and work. april will be spent entirely on work. may i am going to organize a birthday thing for myself, to celebrate being 27, because 27 is the new 21. (i find that entirely amusing when people say something is the new something. it sounds hip and happening but does not actually mean anything. it just gives you the impression that you are up to date and trendy. which is of course helpful when you're not actually.) may, another month of constant work, but i am hoping to have things pretty much in place by then.
june, july, august - i'm still unsure if i'll be in europe or not, the prospects look good now but i will only know for sure in march whether i get the berlin conference or not. if i do it clinches the deal. if i don't, well, i'll just have to come up with plan b. it's too bad that val and kasia both won't be in europe at that time, because partly why i want to do it is because i want to see europe through their eyes. val may be in australia with his girl, and kasia has got a job in turkey. i am really thrilled for them though, it is fantastic to travel with someone you love, and also wonderful to work in a foreign, exotic country. and it makes me feel happy to know that my friends are actively pursuing their dreams and constantly trying to live a better life, because that is the spirit that everybody should have. and when you're surrounded by people like that, you get inspired and you reach out for what you want as well.
september onwards will be a new semester. i will be presenting my confirmation report and hopefully everything will go according to plan, and i will pass it. and i get an increase in my allowance yay! by this time i will probably be commencing work on my data collection and incubating a new travel plan for the year to come. october, november, december. there goes a year!
wow. pace yourself, it's only february now, albeit the last day of it. ten months ahead, filled with hard work and constant learning, challenging and improving myself. new friends to be made, old friends to catch up with. tears, laughter, anticipation, happiness and heartbreak. floating in a sea of academic literature, enveloping myself in nature's beauty, giving and receiving big hugs. possibly meeting someone, probably not meeting anyone. maybe finally getting the courage to speak to guys that i like. haha. why am i so shy huh.
oh well. i should really start my reading. the journey of thousand miles begins with a single step.
Dear dear Val,
Typing this as I am watching a drama series with my sister, right now we're waiting for it to load a little =)
Things have become much better since we last spoke, I hope that your migraine did not give you too much trouble. Headaches are no fun =( Was it the type that you got when you were in New Zealand, where you saw dark spots and stuff?
Well things have become better, largely because I bought a book about spirituality and am currently reading it. I feel that suddenly things have become so much clearer, I feel so much more at peace with myself, and it's a good preparation for me to approach my new bosses to explain my position and to figure out a solution that will work for me and for them.
The title of the book is "Conversations with God" - and I can see your eyes rolling right there, haha! Well firstly it's not bound within any religion, it does not endorse any religion, not Christianity, not Buddhism, not anything. As I had suspected long ago, it is possible to be spiritual without being religious (in a bigoted, exclusive sense) - and I feel that this book supports my beliefs that there can be a direct relationship between me and a supreme being (I hesitate to use the word God really, it just seems that some religions have caused so many non-believers to stigmatize the word), without any major religion being the middle man.
I don't really know how to explain my thoughts, they are very clear but they are also very complex, suddenly what I've been doing so far makes a lot of sense, and it's a relief to know that all my principles and way of life fit into a spiritual framework. I think I like the God in the book, he seems like a really cool bloke, and he supports everything that I've been doing, because he says that the purpose of our life is to rediscover experientially what we already know conceptually (i.e. your conscience, your sense of morality, the voice within you that tells you what is right and wrong, because your soul KNOWS)... and that aligns directly with my philosophy of life, which is "every experience is a learning experience".
In this book we are encouraged to be creative, to create the reality that we want, and have faith that things will turn out - and turns out that faith is the thing that I've been lacking, therefore I feel fear and confusion and chaos. And no thanks to all the messed up interpretations of religions which only can succeed in pushing us further and further away from a spiritual core, which I personally would like to have, but who can convince me to pray to an omnipotent, vindictive and fear-inducing God who only rewards those who think the same way that some religious leaders do?
It is when religion shuts your mind that it is dangerous. When religion opens your mind, encourages you to explore, encourages you to question everything (even God) and learn from every experience, but have faith that everything happens for the purpose of your discovering your true self and your purpose of life - that, I feel, is a religion that I can subscribe to. And it feels like, from how I was literally nodding to some lines in the book, it is indeed the religion that I have subscribed to so far, without even knowing it, and that itself is amazing.
I hope that I'm not sounding like an overzealous religious fanatic at this point, but trust me when I say that I feel that I am much more enlightened now than I was, a couple of days ago, when I talked to you. The uncertainty was engulfing me and I felt helpless - but now I feel that everything will be fine, I will have some earnest talks with my new bosses and explain to them the importance of travelling is to me and to my personal growth, and hope that they will understand and support me. If they don't, or if what I'm asking is in conflict with their professionalism, well, the next hope is that they will be cool enough not to obstruct me; but if they do, I will only be more determined to draw upon my creativity to blast the path to Europe.
This will be an interesting experiment, to see if I will get to Europe this summer, if I do believe wholeheartedly in what I'm doing and go all out in achieving it. If at the end I still fail, I will not be disheartened because I'd have learnt a whole lot anyway (of what you should not do in order to get to Europe =D), and I know that I will keep striving for it until I get it, maybe by the year after.
The book, titled "Conversations with God", is written by Neale Donald Walsch, and is a three-part series. Silver had told me about it in Singapore, and since I chanced upon the series the other day when I was wandering around a bookshop in KL I bought them. I am still reading Part One. I am still nodding (in agreement) to it. It is the most moving book of its genre that I have read so far, and that's not really saying very much because I don't really read books on religion and spirituality =P But it's good. If you come across it in any book stores in Germany I highly recommend that you give it a try.
I suddenly feel that I should put this on my blog. I wanted to blog about it but words wouldn't come out, but somehow it became so much easier when I was writing this email and speaking to you. So I will =) and I'll send you another reply on your last reply to me soon.
Big hugs and love,
Jun-E
Things have become much better since we last spoke, I hope that your migraine did not give you too much trouble. Headaches are no fun =( Was it the type that you got when you were in New Zealand, where you saw dark spots and stuff?
Well things have become better, largely because I bought a book about spirituality and am currently reading it. I feel that suddenly things have become so much clearer, I feel so much more at peace with myself, and it's a good preparation for me to approach my new bosses to explain my position and to figure out a solution that will work for me and for them.
The title of the book is "Conversations with God" - and I can see your eyes rolling right there, haha! Well firstly it's not bound within any religion, it does not endorse any religion, not Christianity, not Buddhism, not anything. As I had suspected long ago, it is possible to be spiritual without being religious (in a bigoted, exclusive sense) - and I feel that this book supports my beliefs that there can be a direct relationship between me and a supreme being (I hesitate to use the word God really, it just seems that some religions have caused so many non-believers to stigmatize the word), without any major religion being the middle man.
I don't really know how to explain my thoughts, they are very clear but they are also very complex, suddenly what I've been doing so far makes a lot of sense, and it's a relief to know that all my principles and way of life fit into a spiritual framework. I think I like the God in the book, he seems like a really cool bloke, and he supports everything that I've been doing, because he says that the purpose of our life is to rediscover experientially what we already know conceptually (i.e. your conscience, your sense of morality, the voice within you that tells you what is right and wrong, because your soul KNOWS)... and that aligns directly with my philosophy of life, which is "every experience is a learning experience".
In this book we are encouraged to be creative, to create the reality that we want, and have faith that things will turn out - and turns out that faith is the thing that I've been lacking, therefore I feel fear and confusion and chaos. And no thanks to all the messed up interpretations of religions which only can succeed in pushing us further and further away from a spiritual core, which I personally would like to have, but who can convince me to pray to an omnipotent, vindictive and fear-inducing God who only rewards those who think the same way that some religious leaders do?
It is when religion shuts your mind that it is dangerous. When religion opens your mind, encourages you to explore, encourages you to question everything (even God) and learn from every experience, but have faith that everything happens for the purpose of your discovering your true self and your purpose of life - that, I feel, is a religion that I can subscribe to. And it feels like, from how I was literally nodding to some lines in the book, it is indeed the religion that I have subscribed to so far, without even knowing it, and that itself is amazing.
I hope that I'm not sounding like an overzealous religious fanatic at this point, but trust me when I say that I feel that I am much more enlightened now than I was, a couple of days ago, when I talked to you. The uncertainty was engulfing me and I felt helpless - but now I feel that everything will be fine, I will have some earnest talks with my new bosses and explain to them the importance of travelling is to me and to my personal growth, and hope that they will understand and support me. If they don't, or if what I'm asking is in conflict with their professionalism, well, the next hope is that they will be cool enough not to obstruct me; but if they do, I will only be more determined to draw upon my creativity to blast the path to Europe.
This will be an interesting experiment, to see if I will get to Europe this summer, if I do believe wholeheartedly in what I'm doing and go all out in achieving it. If at the end I still fail, I will not be disheartened because I'd have learnt a whole lot anyway (of what you should not do in order to get to Europe =D), and I know that I will keep striving for it until I get it, maybe by the year after.
The book, titled "Conversations with God", is written by Neale Donald Walsch, and is a three-part series. Silver had told me about it in Singapore, and since I chanced upon the series the other day when I was wandering around a bookshop in KL I bought them. I am still reading Part One. I am still nodding (in agreement) to it. It is the most moving book of its genre that I have read so far, and that's not really saying very much because I don't really read books on religion and spirituality =P But it's good. If you come across it in any book stores in Germany I highly recommend that you give it a try.
I suddenly feel that I should put this on my blog. I wanted to blog about it but words wouldn't come out, but somehow it became so much easier when I was writing this email and speaking to you. So I will =) and I'll send you another reply on your last reply to me soon.
Big hugs and love,
Jun-E
Ma armastan Eestimaa ja Euroopa
I'm chilling out on the couch, typing absently while watching TV, alone in the house. Housemate David is not in, Patrick my American CSer is out having dinner with some other CSers, and Silver my Estonian CSer just left.
It has been a really good weekend. Silver and Patrick came on Friday, we hit it off instantly, and the whole weekend felt like a sleepover with old friends. It's amazing how one day you're complete strangers, and the second day you are cooking pancakes together like you've been friends forever. It just feels natural, albeit in a surreal way. *checks fingers* It's just really fulfilling to have stimulating conversations that last forever, people who really get you, and understanding that the feeling is mutual that you want to keep in touch and take the trouble to make plans to fly halfway across the globe to see each other.
As I host more and more people, it seems that my trip to Europe next summer becomes more and more inevitable. It's like a painting that every CSer from Europe adds a few strokes to, it gets more and more colourful, vivid and real. Swiss CSer Stefan had talked about an annual CS Paella Party that is held in St Gallen, Switzerland every mid July. I was thinking quite seriously about going, and then now we have Silver telling me about this folk music festival held in Viljandi, Estonia, every end of July.
So Silver and I pored over the world map and fantasized about a two-month romp for me around Europe, starting in the UK (because I'd probably be flying Air Asia haha), to Switzerland for the CS Paella Party, Poland to meet Kasia, Estonia for the folk music festival and to meet Silver at his countryside home, over to Sweden to see Marten, then Germany for Val, Holland for Robert, and finally back to the UK to fly back to Singapore. Subject to deviations and detours.
Photo credit
And I know, if I make it a goal, it will become true. That is how I went to New Zealand, that is how I went to the States, and that is how I will go to Europe next year. Full speed ahead for the confirmation report, and seriously figuring out the budget that I need. And I just checked - Malaysian passports don't require visas to get into any European countries. Is that true, guys?
So yeah. Summer plans are in place, Val's coming and we're going to Sarawak in March, and I figure next year's going to be a very busy year with all the work and travel. I'm pretty happy actually. I miss everyone that I'm going to see, I want to go hiking with Kasia, I want to see Marten if he's gotten rid of his dreads, I want to drink beer and cook with Robert again, I want to share so many stories with Val, I want to go to do organic farming with Silver... and all the reminiscing! We'll have so many things to talk about, the good old days when we travelled together, the amazing sunrises that we saw, the funny people that we met, names of places and animals, the running gags, the stupid games that we played! And I can't wait to give big bear hugs to everyone when we finally meet again.
Soon, I promise. Very soon =)
It has been a really good weekend. Silver and Patrick came on Friday, we hit it off instantly, and the whole weekend felt like a sleepover with old friends. It's amazing how one day you're complete strangers, and the second day you are cooking pancakes together like you've been friends forever. It just feels natural, albeit in a surreal way. *checks fingers* It's just really fulfilling to have stimulating conversations that last forever, people who really get you, and understanding that the feeling is mutual that you want to keep in touch and take the trouble to make plans to fly halfway across the globe to see each other.
As I host more and more people, it seems that my trip to Europe next summer becomes more and more inevitable. It's like a painting that every CSer from Europe adds a few strokes to, it gets more and more colourful, vivid and real. Swiss CSer Stefan had talked about an annual CS Paella Party that is held in St Gallen, Switzerland every mid July. I was thinking quite seriously about going, and then now we have Silver telling me about this folk music festival held in Viljandi, Estonia, every end of July.
So Silver and I pored over the world map and fantasized about a two-month romp for me around Europe, starting in the UK (because I'd probably be flying Air Asia haha), to Switzerland for the CS Paella Party, Poland to meet Kasia, Estonia for the folk music festival and to meet Silver at his countryside home, over to Sweden to see Marten, then Germany for Val, Holland for Robert, and finally back to the UK to fly back to Singapore. Subject to deviations and detours.
Photo creditAnd I know, if I make it a goal, it will become true. That is how I went to New Zealand, that is how I went to the States, and that is how I will go to Europe next year. Full speed ahead for the confirmation report, and seriously figuring out the budget that I need. And I just checked - Malaysian passports don't require visas to get into any European countries. Is that true, guys?
So yeah. Summer plans are in place, Val's coming and we're going to Sarawak in March, and I figure next year's going to be a very busy year with all the work and travel. I'm pretty happy actually. I miss everyone that I'm going to see, I want to go hiking with Kasia, I want to see Marten if he's gotten rid of his dreads, I want to drink beer and cook with Robert again, I want to share so many stories with Val, I want to go to do organic farming with Silver... and all the reminiscing! We'll have so many things to talk about, the good old days when we travelled together, the amazing sunrises that we saw, the funny people that we met, names of places and animals, the running gags, the stupid games that we played! And I can't wait to give big bear hugs to everyone when we finally meet again.
Soon, I promise. Very soon =)
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!
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!
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