Woke up with a jolt at 5am to tell myself to write. I wrote some, and went back to sleep, and had a nightmare that I woke up again and it was 3:30pm already and I spent half of the day sleeping! Half of the day wasted! And while I was trying to come to terms with that a phone call came in offering me a PhD in Sri Lanka (huh?) and while I was trying to talk to this guy on the phone some kids and a dodgy looking adult were trying to climb into my window (nine floors up) and I had to fight them off but try not to swat them away 'coz the fall would kill them.
Jolted awake again and it's 8am in the morning. Crazy ass dream.
*update*
Something completely ridiculous happened to me. I was putting on my sandals with my office keys in my hand, when I fumbled a little and the keys slipped from my hand. And went straight down into what I call the "rain hole", i.e. a small drain in front of my door that probably leads to a pipe that goes nine floors down with no brakes. My keys went, with my anguished and helpless "FUCKKKKKKKK" following close. What are the odds that my keys fall into a round hole which probably only has a 10cm diameter??
Well at least the loss was clearcut in terms of any possible salvage, so beyond staring at a bottomless hole in disbelief I couldn't do anything, and moved on in 10 seconds. I'll just have to go and report the loss and go through some stupid paperwork and payments to get my keys back again. Bad news is - I have no idea where the general office is as they're renovating the damn office right now. I don't know where to find the person that I need to see. Good news is - I won't be needing the keys for at least two months. Which means I'll have to finish my work by today. Maybe this is some sort of sign.
Showing posts with label towards-zero. Show all posts
Showing posts with label towards-zero. Show all posts
-3: Holy Shit
I've never really understood why people say that. How is shit holy? I can understand holy cow, but holy shit? This blog post will be open the whole day and I will be typing in random things that I think of, amidst my frantic writing. I can't believe today's Thursday, tomorrow's Friday, then Saturday comes and I'm flying off! But yea, no time to really put up an insightful post full of witticisms as per my usual writing. Still crazy behind with my work. Still.
---
I'm representing for them gangsters all across the world
Still hitting them corners in them low low's girl
Still taking my time to perfect the beat
And I still got love for the streets, it's the D-R-E
---
Just came back from a meeting with my co-supervisor, my safety net, my life raft, my bungy rope. My pillar of support, my oasis in the desert, my please-don't-leave-me-to-die. He seems ok with my progress although I'm not. He also seems to think that I'll be working on it in Europe although I'm not. But seeing that he's always right, I may be ok, and I'll have to put in some overtime in Europe... preferably Berlin when I'll still be having a roof over my head.
I am taking solace in a video that I saw the other day on Discovery News - this explorer guy said that there is only one essential thing to be an explorer. "Incompetence". Because if everything goes well according to (a good) plan, there would be no adventures or good stories to tell. I will think of his wise words when I am stranded somewhere with no roof over my head or after I am robbed by cute gypsy kids.
I saw my insurance guy yesterday to pay for my travel insurance and it was him who told me about the gypsy kids slashing backpacks and pickpocketing in Europe. "They go for single Asian women who look clumsy and lost," he said. "Erm. Isn't that me?" "Yup." "With a neon sign pointing at the top of my head?" "Yup." I think my insurance guy is honest to the point of being annoying, which is probably a good trait for any insurance guy to have.
---
This is my Island of Stuff, still under construction. I can't afford to procrastinate on packing this time, so I've delineated an area to dump stuff that need to be packed there whenever I remember to. This is incomplete of course, especially the stack of clothes, which I put in just for illustration purposes.
From the top left clockwise, that's my day bag cum cooler (it has this really cool lining that keeps your drinks cool inside), my newly acquired netbook, various chargers and adapters of gadgets, my sleeping bag, my 32 litre Deuter Act Trail, some medication and supplements my mum got me, clothes, toiletries, souvenirs from Malaysia for friends and friends I have yet to make, a folder of important documents, a notebook and my passport. Apart from the day bag and the sleeping bag which my dad and I figured out how to affix outside the pack, everything has to go in.
I'm also bringing this new t-shirt I bought yesterday:
---
When I was doing my last-minute shopping yesterday I saw two cute guys. One was a salesman in a shop selling designer bags made out of recycled things such as seatbelts, fire hoses, candy wrappers and soda can rings. He patiently explained everything to me and was very nice even though I didn't buy anything (or look like I could afford to). The other was when I was buying a book in Borders, and the cute cashier asked me if I needed a plastic bag. He was the only cashier who took the trouble to ask me that for the entire day. I asked him if he asked everybody, or if he just noticed that I had a huge shopping bag with me. He said he asked everybody. I thanked him for that =)
Environmentally conscious guys are hot.Actually no, the researcher in me can't make that causal conclusion - so it's either environmentally conscious guys are hot, or hot guys are environmentally conscious. No actually again - there are many methodological problems - the sample's too small, there's a high researcher bias, so I can't say that either. Fuck - They just are.
---
Shit it's evening already and I've only finished organizing all my references and have been thinking a lot but haven't actually written anything. Jen Hui believes in me. If Jen Hui believes in me I should believe in myself right? Right!!!
---
I was just sending an impulse email to Val and at almost the same instance that I was about to send it, I got his text! Freaky friendship telepathy ftw =D
---
OK I should close this post and get down to writing. Two hours of intense word-smithing, coming up!
---
I'm representing for them gangsters all across the world
Still hitting them corners in them low low's girl
Still taking my time to perfect the beat
And I still got love for the streets, it's the D-R-E
---
Just came back from a meeting with my co-supervisor, my safety net, my life raft, my bungy rope. My pillar of support, my oasis in the desert, my please-don't-leave-me-to-die. He seems ok with my progress although I'm not. He also seems to think that I'll be working on it in Europe although I'm not. But seeing that he's always right, I may be ok, and I'll have to put in some overtime in Europe... preferably Berlin when I'll still be having a roof over my head.
I am taking solace in a video that I saw the other day on Discovery News - this explorer guy said that there is only one essential thing to be an explorer. "Incompetence". Because if everything goes well according to (a good) plan, there would be no adventures or good stories to tell. I will think of his wise words when I am stranded somewhere with no roof over my head or after I am robbed by cute gypsy kids.
I saw my insurance guy yesterday to pay for my travel insurance and it was him who told me about the gypsy kids slashing backpacks and pickpocketing in Europe. "They go for single Asian women who look clumsy and lost," he said. "Erm. Isn't that me?" "Yup." "With a neon sign pointing at the top of my head?" "Yup." I think my insurance guy is honest to the point of being annoying, which is probably a good trait for any insurance guy to have.
---
This is my Island of Stuff, still under construction. I can't afford to procrastinate on packing this time, so I've delineated an area to dump stuff that need to be packed there whenever I remember to. This is incomplete of course, especially the stack of clothes, which I put in just for illustration purposes.From the top left clockwise, that's my day bag cum cooler (it has this really cool lining that keeps your drinks cool inside), my newly acquired netbook, various chargers and adapters of gadgets, my sleeping bag, my 32 litre Deuter Act Trail, some medication and supplements my mum got me, clothes, toiletries, souvenirs from Malaysia for friends and friends I have yet to make, a folder of important documents, a notebook and my passport. Apart from the day bag and the sleeping bag which my dad and I figured out how to affix outside the pack, everything has to go in.
I'm also bringing this new t-shirt I bought yesterday:
---
When I was doing my last-minute shopping yesterday I saw two cute guys. One was a salesman in a shop selling designer bags made out of recycled things such as seatbelts, fire hoses, candy wrappers and soda can rings. He patiently explained everything to me and was very nice even though I didn't buy anything (or look like I could afford to). The other was when I was buying a book in Borders, and the cute cashier asked me if I needed a plastic bag. He was the only cashier who took the trouble to ask me that for the entire day. I asked him if he asked everybody, or if he just noticed that I had a huge shopping bag with me. He said he asked everybody. I thanked him for that =)
Environmentally conscious guys are hot.
---
Shit it's evening already and I've only finished organizing all my references and have been thinking a lot but haven't actually written anything. Jen Hui believes in me. If Jen Hui believes in me I should believe in myself right? Right!!!
---
I was just sending an impulse email to Val and at almost the same instance that I was about to send it, I got his text! Freaky friendship telepathy ftw =D
---
OK I should close this post and get down to writing. Two hours of intense word-smithing, coming up!
-8: Prison Rant
They're installing Exceedingly Ugly Metal Fences all around NTU. I positively loathe it. The beautiful trees and grass and walkways are lined with fences about eight feet high, with barbed wire on top. It is horrible. Simply italicizing the word horrible can't express the magnitude of it. I first saw it around Graduate Hall, and I thought that it was to keep students out of the military area which is just by our campus. Apparently, red signs every 15metres depicting people being shot wasn't enough.
But like a cancerous tumour, the monstrosity grew. I take the shuttle bus sometimes, and to my horror, the metal fences started to crawl further and further. Away from the residential halls, and slowly towards the academic buildings, like poisonous vines, and I am powerless to stop it. Our campus is starting to look like a prison. Eight feet high metal fences with barbed wire on top. Some areas they are planting creeper plants to mask the hideosity of the cold, metallic sheen of the new prison bars. But most other places it is just the bars. Just like in a zoo.
I wonder if they are going to have security gates for each and every academic building, or else this exercise is completely futile, in terms of trying to restrict access. At least that's what I assume the barbed wires are for. I can only speculate that the security is for the upcoming Youth Olympic Games. My university is hosting the kids. I suppose a prison theme is what Singapore is going for.
And I fervently, fervently hope that after the games, this madness will be reversed and my beautiful campus will return to its former fenceless and green glory. I didn't realize it before, but I have actually grown to like my campus. One thing I miss about staying on campus is jogging at night, and then lying on the dewy grass, breathless, with Coldplay blasting in my ears. Guess what. I can't do that anymore. The fences have separated the walkway and the grass. I'd have to risk severing a limb to do something as simple as lie on a patch of grass alongside a walkway.
Sometimes I really, really hate living in Singapore. This is one of those times. Oh yes it's safe. But only because they cane graffiti artists and keep students behind bars.
But like a cancerous tumour, the monstrosity grew. I take the shuttle bus sometimes, and to my horror, the metal fences started to crawl further and further. Away from the residential halls, and slowly towards the academic buildings, like poisonous vines, and I am powerless to stop it. Our campus is starting to look like a prison. Eight feet high metal fences with barbed wire on top. Some areas they are planting creeper plants to mask the hideosity of the cold, metallic sheen of the new prison bars. But most other places it is just the bars. Just like in a zoo.
I wonder if they are going to have security gates for each and every academic building, or else this exercise is completely futile, in terms of trying to restrict access. At least that's what I assume the barbed wires are for. I can only speculate that the security is for the upcoming Youth Olympic Games. My university is hosting the kids. I suppose a prison theme is what Singapore is going for.
And I fervently, fervently hope that after the games, this madness will be reversed and my beautiful campus will return to its former fenceless and green glory. I didn't realize it before, but I have actually grown to like my campus. One thing I miss about staying on campus is jogging at night, and then lying on the dewy grass, breathless, with Coldplay blasting in my ears. Guess what. I can't do that anymore. The fences have separated the walkway and the grass. I'd have to risk severing a limb to do something as simple as lie on a patch of grass alongside a walkway.
Sometimes I really, really hate living in Singapore. This is one of those times. Oh yes it's safe. But only because they cane graffiti artists and keep students behind bars.
-11: Tan Jun-E, for the win!
Giving myself a little pep talk over a very inconvenient bout of writer's block.
I make words flow. I write books. I make things work. I have a magic smile. I stop cars with my thumb. I jump off bridges. I save whales. I cook edible food. I pwn leeches.
I witness amazing sunsets. (That's me, the wee speck, witnessing an amazing sunset at Kota Kinabalu.)
I am awesome. I can do it. What is another 10,000 words? I'll write twenty if I have to. Words don't scare me. Words are my friends. Without words there'll be no languages. Without languages there'll be no meaning. Without meaning there'll be no society. Damn. Words are starting to scare me again.
My point is. My point is. What is my point again?
Just finish the goddamn document and then you'll have all the sunrises and sunsets that you want. In ten days' time. Tan Jun-E, ftw!
I make words flow. I write books. I make things work. I have a magic smile. I stop cars with my thumb. I jump off bridges. I save whales. I cook edible food. I pwn leeches.
I witness amazing sunsets. (That's me, the wee speck, witnessing an amazing sunset at Kota Kinabalu.)
I am awesome. I can do it. What is another 10,000 words? I'll write twenty if I have to. Words don't scare me. Words are my friends. Without words there'll be no languages. Without languages there'll be no meaning. Without meaning there'll be no society. Damn. Words are starting to scare me again.My point is. My point is. What is my point again?
Just finish the goddamn document and then you'll have all the sunrises and sunsets that you want. In ten days' time. Tan Jun-E, ftw!
-12: After the storm.
Gosh. I just spent half an hour writing an angry blog post and deleted everything in the end. Sometimes I write blog posts or emails with the tentative intention to publish or send them, and half-way through I realize that I don't feel it anymore and the moment has passed, that is when I wipe the slate clean and put my emotions away. It cleanses the toxic atmosphere in my head. The intense expression that is manifested through sharp, violent assaults on the keyboard, the subsequent reading and re-reading through the fiery words that I spewed uncontrollably at the height of my fury, and the final click of the "x" of the window. Goodbye and good riddance. My life is mine and mine to control, and no one can make me feel like crap if I don't let them. And I won't let them.
-16: It's the great I am
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!
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!
-24: Hello World
Sometimes I wish that you and I would run parallel, in mutual indifference to each other.
I don't want to think about your worldly problems anymore. I don't want to defend you and your little people anymore. Your little people can continue to think that climate change is still debatable. Your little people can spill oil and destroy the little wildlife that you have. Your little people can use all the little plastic bottles and plastic everything that they want. Your little people can trade parts of you in, just for convenience or profit.
And then I realize that it is not you who I find fault with. It is your little people, and their little minds, and their little efforts to make me and my convictions look silly.
Hello world. I am tired but I will continue doing what I think is right.
I don't want to think about your worldly problems anymore. I don't want to defend you and your little people anymore. Your little people can continue to think that climate change is still debatable. Your little people can spill oil and destroy the little wildlife that you have. Your little people can use all the little plastic bottles and plastic everything that they want. Your little people can trade parts of you in, just for convenience or profit.
And then I realize that it is not you who I find fault with. It is your little people, and their little minds, and their little efforts to make me and my convictions look silly.
Hello world. I am tired but I will continue doing what I think is right.
-25: SAY! HEY!
I just had a beer and therefore am merrier than a completely sober me would be.
SAY! HEY!*Green Day's Holiday plays in the background*
I've been listening to the soundtrack of the American Idiot, a Broadway musical based on Green Day's songs. I wish I could go watch it. Beats air-drumming and trying to type at the same time - I'm sure I look ridiculous but these days I'm often alone in the office anyway so it doesn't really matter.
Speaking of being alone in the office I came across this site today: Givesmehope.com, and barely one minute into reading the little stories tears started streaming down my cheeks. It's basically bite-sized little stories of compassion, courage and anything that gives people hope. I was just thinking to myself that luckily both my officemates were out today when a prof knocked on the door to look for Kristy. He probably thinks I have a sad life story behind the red nose and wet eyes. I don't. My life's great because I just had a beer.
I'm actually pretty hungry at the moment. It's 12:32am and I am too lazy to cook anything, besides there's this whole issue of me having brushed my teeth already. The barrier to filling my empty stomach is simply too high so I shall keep typing and ignore my rumbling tummy. I just remembered this short story that I read by Haruki Murakami, Tan Ying Jian's favourite author. It's about this couple who got so hungry one night that they decided to rob a bakery. Because they couldn't find a bakery they robbed McDonald's instead and took like 50 Big Macs. It was a good story except for the cows that died.
I have a meeting with my co-supervisor tomorrow. I think that's making me a little edgy. Plus I'm hungry and I just had a beer. That's pretty much the update to my life. Did I mention that I just had a beer?
SAY! HEY!*Green Day's Holiday plays in the background*
I've been listening to the soundtrack of the American Idiot, a Broadway musical based on Green Day's songs. I wish I could go watch it. Beats air-drumming and trying to type at the same time - I'm sure I look ridiculous but these days I'm often alone in the office anyway so it doesn't really matter.
Speaking of being alone in the office I came across this site today: Givesmehope.com, and barely one minute into reading the little stories tears started streaming down my cheeks. It's basically bite-sized little stories of compassion, courage and anything that gives people hope. I was just thinking to myself that luckily both my officemates were out today when a prof knocked on the door to look for Kristy. He probably thinks I have a sad life story behind the red nose and wet eyes. I don't. My life's great because I just had a beer.
I'm actually pretty hungry at the moment. It's 12:32am and I am too lazy to cook anything, besides there's this whole issue of me having brushed my teeth already. The barrier to filling my empty stomach is simply too high so I shall keep typing and ignore my rumbling tummy. I just remembered this short story that I read by Haruki Murakami, Tan Ying Jian's favourite author. It's about this couple who got so hungry one night that they decided to rob a bakery. Because they couldn't find a bakery they robbed McDonald's instead and took like 50 Big Macs. It was a good story except for the cows that died.
I have a meeting with my co-supervisor tomorrow. I think that's making me a little edgy. Plus I'm hungry and I just had a beer. That's pretty much the update to my life. Did I mention that I just had a beer?
-29: Gallop of the Dragons
It's Saturday morning, and although I know I should be poring over literature every waking moment I am not. It's pouring out there, which instantly propels me into a happy mood, especially when I have spent the last 15 minutes playing with Pacman courtesy of Google. If you've been hiding under a rock or in a closet (come out already) for the past 12 hours just go to the Google homepage and you'll know what I'm talking about. I read somewhere that it's going to be up for 48 hours, so go now and get your fix of Pacman-induced adrenaline rush! Click "Insert Coin" and the game starts - click it twice and you get a two-player game with Mrs. Pacman too, controlled with the awsd keys.
Awesome rain, thunder and lightning. I hope it doesn't clear too much for this afternoon's dragonboat training. Speaking of which, I got some pictures on last week's race from Hailey through Facebook and here they are:
The paddles.
The boats lined up pre-race. The race was held at Boat Quay.
This is the British Dragons Team A Women. (I was in Team B.) There are 10 in the team, and as you can see there's a variety of nationalities: Indonesian, British, Chinese (Hong Kong), Singaporean, Dutch... so it isn't exactly a British team. The guy back there is the cox, one of the best paddlers in our team. He's Polish. The guy in front's the drummer, though we usually don't have one when we practise. This boat's shorter than the ones we usually paddle in, which are the 20-person boats like the one below.
I'm not sure if this is the mixed team or the men's team of the Brits, but it's a 20-person boat although there's only 18 paddlers. The pose that they're all holding is when the cox yells "Paddles up!" and they go "Up!" - the next second they will be paddling beautifully in unison.
This is our coach Jason, who used to paddle for the national team I think. He's our very own Kungfu Panda, because he always dresses in a white t-shirt and has a black lifejacket on, and because he constantly wears shades under the sun forming tan lines around his eyes hahaha. His shirt says "Longer, Harder, Deeper" which is kind of a chant that we have, that still manages to inspire sexual innuendos that never get old. Comic relief when you feel like your arms are going to drop off.
Guys bailing out water from a capsized boat. Apparently the 10-person boats capsize pretty easily.
This is the zoom out shot of Boat Quay. Trainings at Kallang River are not as glamorous with the skyline and everything, and this is a really short race track, not even 200metres as they claim. The race track is lined by the little round dots that you see in the distance, the buoys.
The next race that they have is in Putrajaya I think, but because that weekend I'll be jetting off to Europe I won't be able to participate. Oh well. There'll be more races when I get back.
Awesome rain, thunder and lightning. I hope it doesn't clear too much for this afternoon's dragonboat training. Speaking of which, I got some pictures on last week's race from Hailey through Facebook and here they are:
The paddles.
The boats lined up pre-race. The race was held at Boat Quay.
This is the British Dragons Team A Women. (I was in Team B.) There are 10 in the team, and as you can see there's a variety of nationalities: Indonesian, British, Chinese (Hong Kong), Singaporean, Dutch... so it isn't exactly a British team. The guy back there is the cox, one of the best paddlers in our team. He's Polish. The guy in front's the drummer, though we usually don't have one when we practise. This boat's shorter than the ones we usually paddle in, which are the 20-person boats like the one below.
I'm not sure if this is the mixed team or the men's team of the Brits, but it's a 20-person boat although there's only 18 paddlers. The pose that they're all holding is when the cox yells "Paddles up!" and they go "Up!" - the next second they will be paddling beautifully in unison.
This is our coach Jason, who used to paddle for the national team I think. He's our very own Kungfu Panda, because he always dresses in a white t-shirt and has a black lifejacket on, and because he constantly wears shades under the sun forming tan lines around his eyes hahaha. His shirt says "Longer, Harder, Deeper" which is kind of a chant that we have, that still manages to inspire sexual innuendos that never get old. Comic relief when you feel like your arms are going to drop off.
Guys bailing out water from a capsized boat. Apparently the 10-person boats capsize pretty easily.
This is the zoom out shot of Boat Quay. Trainings at Kallang River are not as glamorous with the skyline and everything, and this is a really short race track, not even 200metres as they claim. The race track is lined by the little round dots that you see in the distance, the buoys.The next race that they have is in Putrajaya I think, but because that weekend I'll be jetting off to Europe I won't be able to participate. Oh well. There'll be more races when I get back.
-31: Post Earthquake Volcano Eruption
Am working accompanied by Jay Chou. When did he stop being epic?
-33: History will repeat itself.
I was having dinner with Jia Ling today, when it struck me that around this time last year, I was in a similar turmoil caught up with work and travel and on top of that, homelessness. I wasn't under intense pressure as I am right now, because of the tight deadlines and everything, but I was definitely frazzled and stressed. Two months, four countries. Two months, a change of scenery every week from going back to KL, attending a graduate forum in Singapore, backpacking in India, going through a graduate course in Singapore, packing for the States, and five weeks in the States after that hopping from Boston, New York, San Francisco, national parks of the canyons in the west, the Burning Man.
Now it's two months, 10 countries. Somehow the realization of the fact that I pulled last year's epic trip off gives me this sense of accomplishment - I will be able to make this year's trip, and I'll be able to make it as memorable as last year's. I told Jia Ling that Europe doesn't seem real at all, at this point I can't see anything beyond the crazy amount of work that I have, and she told me that I said the exact same words last year pre-US, when she was hosting my homeless ass and I was whining excessively about my life. And that was when I knew that, although I can't see the end now, the end is going to come, and as unreal as it may seem, I am going to Europe. Beautiful cities, fantastic landscapes and nature, awesome people and random experiences.
And the report, stressful and mindfucking as it is, will not stand in my way.
Now it's two months, 10 countries. Somehow the realization of the fact that I pulled last year's epic trip off gives me this sense of accomplishment - I will be able to make this year's trip, and I'll be able to make it as memorable as last year's. I told Jia Ling that Europe doesn't seem real at all, at this point I can't see anything beyond the crazy amount of work that I have, and she told me that I said the exact same words last year pre-US, when she was hosting my homeless ass and I was whining excessively about my life. And that was when I knew that, although I can't see the end now, the end is going to come, and as unreal as it may seem, I am going to Europe. Beautiful cities, fantastic landscapes and nature, awesome people and random experiences.
And the report, stressful and mindfucking as it is, will not stand in my way.
-45: Of splinters and engagement rings.
The past few days I was bothered by something quite trivial - it's one of those things that's like a splinter stuck in your thumb, it's not really life-threatening but annoying nonetheless, and you're unable to pluck it out because you don't have a tweezer. But then life goes on and you eventually forget about it and your body slowly dispels it. Life's too short to fret over cowardly wankers splinters, man.
Yesterday me and my officemates were discussing engagement rings. My contention is - engagement rings are pure waste of resources and have no use whatsoever. I base my argument on three major points:
My officemates think I'm the most unromantic person in the world. But I'm just saying, if you're going to spend thousands on a shiny piece of rock, you might as well give me the money. But now - if my man had mined that piece of rock, or if he had built the ring from scratch - now that would serve some symbolic value other than fueling meaningless consumerism and fulfilling societal expectations. And, if I inherit my mum's wedding band, it would mean much more than the engagement ring, because it will actually have been on her finger for most of her life. Get my point?
Another pointed (yet pointless) rant brought to you by the roving mind of a procrastinating research student. Writing is going alright. I am going to kick this paper's ass.
Yesterday me and my officemates were discussing engagement rings. My contention is - engagement rings are pure waste of resources and have no use whatsoever. I base my argument on three major points:
- Engagement rings, those that are worth their salt anyway, cost a fortune.
- You already have a wedding band for everyday use as a man repellent.
- Assuming that you don't leave the marriage, you won't sell your engagement ring, because of sentimental value and all that shit.
My officemates think I'm the most unromantic person in the world. But I'm just saying, if you're going to spend thousands on a shiny piece of rock, you might as well give me the money. But now - if my man had mined that piece of rock, or if he had built the ring from scratch - now that would serve some symbolic value other than fueling meaningless consumerism and fulfilling societal expectations. And, if I inherit my mum's wedding band, it would mean much more than the engagement ring, because it will actually have been on her finger for most of her life. Get my point?
Another pointed (yet pointless) rant brought to you by the roving mind of a procrastinating research student. Writing is going alright. I am going to kick this paper's ass.
-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 =)
-53: The embodied self.
I stayed home today and read and slept and read and slept and read again. Sneaked in a Big Bang Theory episode or two (or three T_T). Then I took an hour's commute to Little India, had dragonboat training, and took an hour's commute back.
All in all I'd say it was a fruitful day. My arms are going to be dangling limply by my sides tomorrow, but since I type with my fingers and my arms rested on the desk I should be fine. One should be thankful that dragonboating does not require much finger strength. Wednesday training is at the poolside and there are many more complicated exercises other than paddling movements that exposes the crippling weakness of my abs. Startling revelation. On the bright side I appear to be able to do a semblance of 50 (ok I cheated it was 40) push ups. I do suspect that it was more arm than ab muscle that I was using but perhaps with more practice I might be able to get it right.
I just sneezed and an entire muscle group down my back groaned. Tomorrow will be interesting.
All in all I'd say it was a fruitful day. My arms are going to be dangling limply by my sides tomorrow, but since I type with my fingers and my arms rested on the desk I should be fine. One should be thankful that dragonboating does not require much finger strength. Wednesday training is at the poolside and there are many more complicated exercises other than paddling movements that exposes the crippling weakness of my abs. Startling revelation. On the bright side I appear to be able to do a semblance of 50 (ok I cheated it was 40) push ups. I do suspect that it was more arm than ab muscle that I was using but perhaps with more practice I might be able to get it right.
I just sneezed and an entire muscle group down my back groaned. Tomorrow will be interesting.
-54: Picture of serenity
Oh no oh no we're going for -50 and I have mountainloads of work not done yet and we're all going to hit a wall and die an excruciating death! *deep choked breaths*
I couldn't sleep yesterday night resulting in an awfully tired day and I had this meeting with my co-supe which was fine just that it made me realize the amount of work that I still have ahead of me and I really don't know if 54 days is enough actually make that 30 days because I need one month for my supervisors to go through my draft and make corrections and I still have so much to read so much to write so much to delete and write again and then I'll die and be born again out of the flames and make it to Europe. Except that I am not a phoenix and I am not familiar with the mechanics of deconstructing and reconstructing my particles through combustion. Does that mean I'm... just going to die?
Yeah. Just a fleeting glimpse of what it's like to be in my head. I'm going for dragonboat training tomorrow to de-stress and hopefully unclog my running nose.
I couldn't sleep yesterday night resulting in an awfully tired day and I had this meeting with my co-supe which was fine just that it made me realize the amount of work that I still have ahead of me and I really don't know if 54 days is enough actually make that 30 days because I need one month for my supervisors to go through my draft and make corrections and I still have so much to read so much to write so much to delete and write again and then I'll die and be born again out of the flames and make it to Europe. Except that I am not a phoenix and I am not familiar with the mechanics of deconstructing and reconstructing my particles through combustion. Does that mean I'm... just going to die?
Yeah. Just a fleeting glimpse of what it's like to be in my head. I'm going for dragonboat training tomorrow to de-stress and hopefully unclog my running nose.
-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.
-56:
Oh my god there's some kind of carnival going on in a temple a block away and I can hear the whole karaoke and annoying MC with a piercing voice. From 9 floors up TMD. It's almost 11 now and I feel like clubbing people with microphones. By that I actually mean I would like to club anyone who is holding a microphone with a microphone.
I finished my World of Warcraft 10-hour session today. Yes it has awakened the violence in me. Against my will I clubbed peace-loving Plainstriders, and later other increasingly aggressive creatures, and my newfound bloodthirstiness made me kill an innocent prairie dog just because I could. It probably had prairie puppies waiting for food back home. I am a horrible person.
MAKE IT STOP. MAKE IT STOP. MAKE IT WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. God they can't be serious. The wailing! The melodramatic vibration at the high notes! The ridiculously outdated songs! This is so bad, it is almost surreal. I refuse to believe that there are actually people in the audience, enduring the auditory torture. I mean, how could people not want to kill themselves, if not the people on stage? I just thought of a bad Jewish joke that probably only Val can appreciate. I miss Val. In fact I miss many people. But I can't be sentimental now, with the murderous mood still running in the background.
Hmm. I think the music has stopped. I can be sentimental after all.
OK firstly Asa I got your email... I'm glad about the new developments and all but I'm also pretty sad that you're not going to be in KL anymore... I know I know, it doesn't make a diff because I'm in Singapore anyway but that just makes it even sadder I guess. But at least you'll have LL there with you. And I suppose it's a better career prospect. T_T I will try to make it back before I go to Europe...
And other stuff. Other emails that I want to reply, but I'm never in the right frame of mind to, you know? I'm either depressed about work, or busy with extracurricular activities, or just trying to clear my head. The funny thing is that most of the people that I really want to see, are not in Singapore. I'm tired of all the emails, I want face time man. But I know very well that I am not going to get face time, and slowly but surely, I won't be able to keep up with all my contacts and they will slowly fade away... - isn't that the saddest thing? Like a piece of fine painting that, over time, loses its vivid colour, and all that's left is yesterday's memories and today's awkward silences.
Whoa damn emo. I blame it on the stupid singing. Well at least I blogged a long one today. Need to take a shower and go to bed to prepare for a new day tomorrow.
I finished my World of Warcraft 10-hour session today. Yes it has awakened the violence in me. Against my will I clubbed peace-loving Plainstriders, and later other increasingly aggressive creatures, and my newfound bloodthirstiness made me kill an innocent prairie dog just because I could. It probably had prairie puppies waiting for food back home. I am a horrible person.
MAKE IT STOP. MAKE IT STOP. MAKE IT WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. God they can't be serious. The wailing! The melodramatic vibration at the high notes! The ridiculously outdated songs! This is so bad, it is almost surreal. I refuse to believe that there are actually people in the audience, enduring the auditory torture. I mean, how could people not want to kill themselves, if not the people on stage? I just thought of a bad Jewish joke that probably only Val can appreciate. I miss Val. In fact I miss many people. But I can't be sentimental now, with the murderous mood still running in the background.
Hmm. I think the music has stopped. I can be sentimental after all.
OK firstly Asa I got your email... I'm glad about the new developments and all but I'm also pretty sad that you're not going to be in KL anymore... I know I know, it doesn't make a diff because I'm in Singapore anyway but that just makes it even sadder I guess. But at least you'll have LL there with you. And I suppose it's a better career prospect. T_T I will try to make it back before I go to Europe...
And other stuff. Other emails that I want to reply, but I'm never in the right frame of mind to, you know? I'm either depressed about work, or busy with extracurricular activities, or just trying to clear my head. The funny thing is that most of the people that I really want to see, are not in Singapore. I'm tired of all the emails, I want face time man. But I know very well that I am not going to get face time, and slowly but surely, I won't be able to keep up with all my contacts and they will slowly fade away... - isn't that the saddest thing? Like a piece of fine painting that, over time, loses its vivid colour, and all that's left is yesterday's memories and today's awkward silences.
Whoa damn emo. I blame it on the stupid singing. Well at least I blogged a long one today. Need to take a shower and go to bed to prepare for a new day tomorrow.
-57:
Well the good news is my itchy throat and coughing seem to have eased after dragonboating under the rain again. The bad? I lost my purple water bottle =(
In fact I went on a little adventure to try to find my bottle. After dinner with a new girl on the team, I decided to go on a little expedition of saving my bottle - through riding on the newly opened Circle Line to the Stadium Station, just because someone, in a passing mention, said that it was close to the dragonboating site. Well it was not as close as I thought, so I got lost a little around the new station and wandered around in the dark, made my way back to the station to get more specific directions, and wandered around in the dark some more. Crossed some fields and a highway and finally got back to the dragonboating site, but my bottle was not in the toilet where I thought it would be. Bummer. I just sent a message to the captain hoping that someone picked it up.
Also today I had my first foray into the World of Warcraft, it wasn't half bad but I don't like the part where I have to club animals. Skinny David laughed as he saw me flinch =_=. Tomorrow I am going back to play for about 6 hours I think, to fulfil my role as a research subject. It's actually a pretty sweet way of earning 40 bucks, except that I will have to bring some hot chocolate tomorrow because it's freaking cold in the room.
Let's see... what else? I'm sorry my blogging style has been weird lately, there's just so many ways that you can pretend to blog without actually doing it XD But seriously sometimes it's just too difficult to make words flow. I think I'm approaching the light at the end of the tunnel of not being able to write though. I've been slowly building the outline although I haven't written much, so that when I can, the words will just gush like mountain spring water. And also I think I should probably stop flooding my blog with posts just for the heck of it. So I guess we're looking at the usual one or two posts per week. Counting down will continue but not in consecutive numbers.
Tired but having vague munchies. Hope my water bottle is safe and sound somewhere, I'm off to bed now.
In fact I went on a little adventure to try to find my bottle. After dinner with a new girl on the team, I decided to go on a little expedition of saving my bottle - through riding on the newly opened Circle Line to the Stadium Station, just because someone, in a passing mention, said that it was close to the dragonboating site. Well it was not as close as I thought, so I got lost a little around the new station and wandered around in the dark, made my way back to the station to get more specific directions, and wandered around in the dark some more. Crossed some fields and a highway and finally got back to the dragonboating site, but my bottle was not in the toilet where I thought it would be. Bummer. I just sent a message to the captain hoping that someone picked it up.
Also today I had my first foray into the World of Warcraft, it wasn't half bad but I don't like the part where I have to club animals. Skinny David laughed as he saw me flinch =_=. Tomorrow I am going back to play for about 6 hours I think, to fulfil my role as a research subject. It's actually a pretty sweet way of earning 40 bucks, except that I will have to bring some hot chocolate tomorrow because it's freaking cold in the room.
Let's see... what else? I'm sorry my blogging style has been weird lately, there's just so many ways that you can pretend to blog without actually doing it XD But seriously sometimes it's just too difficult to make words flow. I think I'm approaching the light at the end of the tunnel of not being able to write though. I've been slowly building the outline although I haven't written much, so that when I can, the words will just gush like mountain spring water. And also I think I should probably stop flooding my blog with posts just for the heck of it. So I guess we're looking at the usual one or two posts per week. Counting down will continue but not in consecutive numbers.
Tired but having vague munchies. Hope my water bottle is safe and sound somewhere, I'm off to bed now.
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