Catch my disease.

I finally smell a whiff of freedom for the next three months.

Summer holidays, here I come.

\o/

Hang in there my friends in SG, we'll meet soon :>

My head is a box filled with nothing
And that's the way I like it.

Ben Lee - Catch My Disease.

Heh, literally so!

Dexterity.

If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, even if we don't speak often, please post a comment with a memory of you and me. It can be anything you want, either good or bad. I promise not to come after you with a sharpened pencil either way.

When you're finished, post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people remember about you.

Uhm, this 'memories' thing seems to be going around quite a bit, and I'm actually quite eager to do this ;> Anyone who knows me is welcome to post something, anything! Even if you are anonymously reading my blog (I know some of you are!!), you can leave an anonymous comment if you wish.

Don't embarrass me with your silence - post something please.

Three cigarettes in an ashtray.

I should be studying, but I thought I had to blog about this.

While on the phone with Mom a couple of nights ago, I was told that Blob and family have been talking amongst one another, that I definitely won't be able to get a decent job in future. And even if I do get a job in the first place, I probably am not going to make it to the top of the company anyway. Why is that so, you ask me with curious eyes. Because I am doing an arts degree. A meagre, worth-almost-nothing arts degree at the University of Melbourne.

So here it comes again. That same old question that almost every bloody adult loves to ask me at CNY gatherings and the like, when I tell them I am doing ARTS:

"Hmm... so what are you going to do in future ah?" (because saying "I am doing arts" doesn't directly explain my future career option, as opposed to saying "I am doing medicine" or "I am doing accounting". Note also that people don't normally go "waaaaah" at someone doing an arts degree, like they normally do when they know you are studying law or medicine.)

I might have gone a little off the topic but my point in writing this is that, I think there are some very weird misconceptions attached to doing arts degrees (arts meaning history, philosophy, political science, geography, theatre, languages etc). Maybe not so much in Australia but definitely in SG. The arts faculty is a dumping ground for students who cannot make it, arts degrees can only land you in a teaching job, arts degrees won't give you a decent pay, arts degrees are very general, blah blah blah.

While I agree to a certain extent that... okay, so we arts students aren't doing anything as impressive as law or medicine or accounting people - you know, the big money, the glam/prestige and all that sort of thing... but at the very least, I believe in what I do, and I love what I do. I hope I can say the same for all my friends in the arts faculty too, that we chose this path and we are happy with what we chose, even though we still may not have a clue as to what we'll do in future. "Third World Development and Japanese? Where the hell are you going to end up with these two majors?" I've asked myself this question so many times. It used to bother me that I had no definite answer for my own question, but as time passed I've decided to let it go and concentrate on getting the degree first. And graduating, of course. With honours, hopefully.

Back to Blob and family. I was actually more amused than pissed to know that they'd actually been discussing my future career opportunities among themselves. The father (who is also my uncle, unfortunately) clearly has a very skewed perception of what it means to be successful in life. Simply put, studying law/medicine/accounting/science/information technology will get you somewhere, but not arts. Definitely not. It is however very ironic that they (of all people) could have such a discussion about me, because their own son was kicked out of uni for failing the same two subjects TWICE. But I digress.

Non-arts people may not know this, but the arts field is this vast, and it allows you to explore so many things in this world we live in. The arts may be broad and general, but at the same time it gives you opportunities to analyse and see things from so many perspectives (here comes the essay-writing bit), and I dare say more so than any other course at university, because nothing in the arts is ever absolute. It just depends on how well you present your argument. Oh, I could go on forever, but let's stop here.

Snobs like Blob and family should stop looking down on the arts, and despising people like me who do arts degrees. Because I chose this path, and unlike your suffering son I am happy with what I am doing. And while I may not know my math and science very well, nor do I know which low-paying job I am going to end up in the future, I do know that I am able to write a decent kick-ass essay, complete with twenty references to substantiate my argument. Can you?

"The only comfort you can take from eating at a Denny's is that you know for sure that all over America, everyone else at a Denny's is just as unhappy as you are." - Drew Carey.

November rain.

I need a job at the Grand Hyatt. I will do anything - stand at the entrance to greet visitors, valet service, mop the lobby floor, arrange the lobby flowers, even polish the receptionist's shoes.

Just bloody hell get me into the Hyatt, goddamit.

*Countdown to Japanese 2B exam - 9 days*

I hope life treats you kind
And I hope you have what you dreamed of
And I wish you joy and happiness
But above all this
I wish you love.

Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You.

Like Dorian Gray.

Here in Melbourne the few of us share the use of an 11-year-old blue Toyota Camry we've affectionately named Edward. He feels like an Edward, was what Piggy remarked when we were debating what name to call him. That moment on, Sir Edward became a part of our otherwise mundane lives - from long, faraway drives to Boxhill/Carnegie/Camberwell/Richmond for dinners, short trips to Safeway for >$90 groceries, buying takeaway from Chapel Street, taking me home from uni, to picking me up from the airport etc, Edward has been a faithful friend, although he technically belonged to neither one of us.

But two nights ago dear Edward was involved in a minor collision with another car, and although the driver then escaped unscathed ^_^, Edward is now waiting, in the dark and lonely basement carpark, for a uhm... 'plastic surgeon' to have a look at his disfigured face, and hopefully restore his beautiful bonnet. We are also hoping that the insurance company will help out a bit with the repair costs... afterall, Edward is no longer a young car and it might be more worthwhile to get a new one than to have him repaired.

It's only been one day since the accident happened, but I feel almost handicapped without Edward already (!!). He was never mine, but after having driven him a couple of times, and being chauffeured around in him for the past few years, I couldn't help but feel that tinge when I heard he'd been involved in a collision. It doesn't help that all of us are now sort of done with exams and work, and that we'd be needing him even more for our long drives and shopping trips during this period. Right now we can only keep our fingers crossed and pray hope that everything turns out well, and one fine day Edward will return to us again, restored and renewed (O_o).

X X X

In other news, a longtime friend whom I haven't met since we graduated from DHS in 1999 is now here in Melbourne for some hospital attachment. We've met up twice this week already, and boy, how good does it feel to meet an old friend in a foreign country like Australia?! The span of six years hasn't changed both of us much, apparently (err apart from appearance? ;p) But during dinner that night I also confessed to being a "Walking Tabloid", because I seemed to know anything and everything about what's going on now with random people from our batch ;p

Thanks to Friendster for bringing the both of us together again -_- More hot goss when we next meet! Bwahhahahahahahhaaa.

It's more than just words
It's just tears and rain.

James Blunt - Tears And Rain.

My baby shot me down.

So last night was the end for my beloved BJ on Survivor 11. It was such an unexpected twist, but oh well. I guess what Piggy said was true - Only one person can win the million dollars ultimately anyway.



Sigh. Ai lurf yoo!

Goodbye BJ, and good luck :>

I need you now like I need you then
You always said we'd still be friends someday.

Nada Surf - If You Leave.

Anything goes.

Revelation of the Year: I have a love-hate relationship with Fate.

The gloomy weather and the pouring rain, totally in sync with my mood today. It was, however, neutralised 101% with perfect dinner company, Vietnamese noodles, crazy laughs and awesome therapeutic music in the car. More hits to come later at night, when we all drive to the airport to pick someone up.

I guess at the end of the day, all I can say is that I've tried. I really did. It was you who never gave me a chance.

I go out walking after midnight
Along the lonely thoroughfare
It's not the time or place to look for you
But maybe you'll be there.

Diana Krall - Maybe You'll Be There.

Love is just a game.

I got this in the mail on Tuesday.



I asked for it to be mailed to me, so although it wasn't a surprise-surprise, it felt very nice to receive mail from home nonetheless. It always feels nice, anyway.



I've been waiting more than a year for this CD! What a pretty cover.

And thank you :>

X X X

I'm moving out from my current place next month. Very very reluctant and unhappy to do so, but I hope I don't move too far... because the lake behind my apartment is where I obtain my regular dosage of peace, comfort and solace.



Hungry swans.



Sunset with lone swan, one year later. Doraemon this one is for you :)



Evening sky, in shades of blue and purple.

I hate you Blob for screwing me up this way, but I guess... if it weren't for you I wouldn't have gotten this awesome place in the first place.

So thank you for that.

X X X

I'd like to get you on a slow boat to China
All to myself, alone
Get you and keep you in my arms evermore
Leave all your lovers weeping on a faraway shore.

Salena Jones - On A Slow Boat To China.

Seven things.

So I've finally been tagged by someone (erhem!) to do the infamous 7 Things meme, and this once again gives me an excuse to NOT study for my exam. Ah, the lure of procrastination.

Seven things that scare me:

1. The thought that I'm going to lose my mother someday
2. Flying insects (die cockroaches die!)
3. Unexpected death, for example in a terrorist bomb blast/plane crash (and then people will know the colour of my underwear when they take care of my corpse, or know what a horrible slob I am when they come into my house to pack my stuff)
4. Failing
5. Friends and family members dying
6. Walking alone in a thick forest (o.O)
7. Horror movies ;)

Seven things I like the most:

1. Chocolate
2. Ice Cream
3. Movies
4. Music
5. The Internet (to be more specific - torrents ;p)
6. Books
7. Coffee

Seven most important things in my room:

1. My most faithful IBM laptop
2. Desk lamp (I can't work without it)
3. The bed (because that's where all the fun begins ;p)
4. My 8 posters and 1001 wall decorations which make the room colourful
5. The attached bathroom
6. Alarm clock
7. Xiao Xiang, my beloved stuffed elephant/brother



Xiao Xiang, whom I never leave behind whenever I travel.

Seven random facts about me:

1. I go to the gym at least 3 times a week although I don't look like someone who does ^_^
2. I hope to own a Chow Chow and a Siamese kitten someday
3. I dream about being Jacky Cheung's concert pianist
4. I cry at every single 'Amazing Race' season finale
5. I cannot do sit-ups (Yes I have never done a single one in my entire life and I've failed every bloody physical fitness test since primary school - I am 22 this year and I still can't do sit-ups)
6. I wrote a storybook with a friend when I was 12 but I have since lost the entire draft
7. Apart from the actual 'A-Level' exam itself, I've never passed a single C-Maths exam in JC (bwahahahahhaa)

Seven things I plan to do before I die:

1. Visit Africa with Mom
2. Bungee jump Rob a bank Fly first class
3. Pierce my ears
4. Love someone for a long long time
5. Live in Japan and/or USA for a couple of years
6. Get a Masters degree
7. Have sex (how unglam is it to die a virgin?)

Seven things I can do:

1. Play the piano
2. Sing in tune
3. Write a grammatically correct essay
4. Eat ALOT when I'm depressed (Piggy can attest to that...)
5. Drive
6. Read, write and speak Intermediate Japanese
7. Get annoyed easily

Seven things I can't do:

1. Dance (sigh)
2. Math & Physics (basically this means "to hell with the sciences")
3. Use a can opener -_-
4. Clean the house
5. Paint/draw (sigh, too)
6. Live without the TV
7. Kill a cockroach

Seven words I say the most:

1. Wah Lau!
2. Duh!
3. Hey?
4. Wahahahhaaahaha (on MSN)
5. Kisiao ;)
6. Hell
7. OMG!

Seven celeb crushes (revised version ^_^):

1. Edison Chen (sorry PH :x)
2. Brad Pitt
3. Dermot Mulroney
4. Richard Gere
5. John Cusack
6. Jennifer Garner
7. Won Bin

Seven people I'd love to see do this (this is based on the people whom I think have the time to procrastinate, or who don't have time but will procrastinate anyway - Piggy, your name is there by default so I won't waste that slot ;p):

1. Keiji
2. Pinny
3. HJ
4. James
5. Ronny
6. Kaelyn
7. Anne Marie

X X X

啦儿啦 啦儿啦 啦儿啦儿啦

啦儿啦 啦儿啦 啦儿啦儿啊

LOL, these two lines have been stuck in my head the entire night...

Under a blanket of blue.

I've since decided that I'll post hilarious examples of EngRish here whenever I come across any. And just when I thought the EngRish from my previous post were unbeatable, here's one that's pretty much the ultimate, because it contains the best examples of Singapore EngRish in one sentence (I have so found the gem!):

"Me today did not go out and resting at home...until just now *name censored* msg me and so ltr shall be gg *place censored* to mit her for coffee le..tmr gotta work again le and is gg to be a long day due to tmr got meeting at 5.30pm till abt 8plus ba..hopefully it can end earlier..now gg take my dinner 1st le thn prepare myself and get ready to go *place censored* mit her after her movie with her frens..keke."

The person who wrote the above is 23. Twenty-friggin-three years of age. Kill me please. But thanks anyway, whoever you are, for a very hearty laugh ^_^

And I don't... I really honestly don't get why:

1) people refer to themselves using 'ME' instead of a simple, proper, letter 'I'.

2) this term 'keke' (to replace haha and hehe?) was even invented. Like, WTF?

3) the chinese words 'ba' (other popular versions include bah and bahz) and 'le' can appear at the end of a full sentence written in English (actually, EngRish). Oh right, that's to show the diversity of Singaporean culture, how could I ever forget.

But me means, did all tis makes you sentences looked more funky bahz????!!!!!

Enuff EngRish le, it is makes mi sho, sho sick.

Heez!

Lolxx.

Buaiz!

All that you can't leave behind.



There were many times when I thought I'd just screw it, pick up the phone and dial those numbers I haven't dialled in awhile, but there was this something called pride... and it's been preventing me from doing so.

We might as well be strangers in another town
We might as well be living in another time
We might as well
We might as well
We might as well be strangers.

Keane - We Might As Well Be Strangers.

I'm a fool to want you.

I'm not sure if it's the difference in course structures and curriculum, but I've observed that a handful of friends from SMU are always doing projects on campus till really late at night. And I mean like, till 10pm and beyond. Either that, or they have project meetings at someone's place, and everyone stays over till unearthly hours in the morning, complete with laptops and lots of comfort food et al. On the other hand, I've noticed that friends from the other 2 universities have their discussions mostly in the day without dragging past dinnertime. Never heard of staying over on campus, let alone at someone's place. Maybe it's a school culture difference? o.O Whatever it is, MU has no such culture for sure. Walk around the campus in the evenings and you'll notice that by about 5 or 6 the uni is dead.

What do you mean, project discussion? ;>

X X X

So anyway, life as of now, stinks. Because I have work lying on my ass but I'm not exactly stressed about it. I'm currently taking a break from essay writing as I blog - yes, that essay due on Monday at 4pm (aha, timing is crucial). Receiving retro songs (think Boy George and Sade o_O) from Nat on MSN and then sending them off to Piggy on ICQ is taking up lots of time, but I'm feeling relaxed and very strangely comfortable with this procrastination o.O I guess it has something to do with having only 800 words to go ;p

And, I'm actually toying with the idea of catching just oneeeeeeee episode of Amazing Race 2 after this. My god, torrents are the most wonderful inventions on earth, I SWEAR. Okay I am very slow with this but Oswald and Danny go go go! o_O

X X X

It's 17 days to my freedom - then it's 3 full months of no class, no schoolwork and fun-filled (?) summer vacation in SG \o/ And sigh, it would be awesome if I could take a trip somewhere during the break, but a voice in my head tells me I should stop asking Mom to sponsor my extravagant holidays...

Okay. It's time for some Amazing Race back to the essay.

If only I could turn back time
I would stay for the night.

Aqua - Turn Back Time.

November Chopin.

I have a major issue with bad English. Nothing irritates me more than coming across sentences with incorrect spelling, wrong tenses and terrible sentence structure. Was reading a friend's blog the other day and I read this comment left by one of his friends:

"I will catch u if u fall, and make sure the shattered and broken u, will be fixed back in sg and then packed u up and sent u back to australia for the nx semester."

.......

I immediately pasted the entire comment to Piggy, after which I remarked, "God... the English is F*** bad".

And then off we embarked on a conversation, about WHY people with such a bad command of English (like the person mentioned above) are able to survive in university (or even get into uni?!). Does proper language not matter to anyone anymore? It seems to me, after three years of tertiary education in a university with a huge international student intake, that perhaps it is content that the graders are looking out for now, and as long as you express your ideas in a way that is still understandable, no one gives a rat's ass about grammar/tense/sentence structures.

I feel somewhat stuck in a dilemma, because there are so many students at MU whose first language is not English... and while I really admire their courage for taking up the challenge to do their tertiary studies in a second language and sympathise with them when they are unable to contribute much to tutorial discussions because of the language barrier, it kills me when I have to listen to their tutorial presentations, because most of the time I have to (1) force myself to pay attention, or (2) bite my lip to prevent myself from cracking up at the way certain words are pronounced... yes, sue me please - I am very mean, but that's reality for you.

Just for the fun of it, here are more examples of "EngRish". Note that these were written by Singaporean university students, whom I seriously think need to return to Primary School for basic English lessons... NOW.

1. hey... want to caught up movie?

2. dun mistaken that i hv ulterior motive. i dun wan to spolite the relationship betwn us.

3. thank God! must reserved good looking guys as well!

4. i really glad that i know him... but sometimes i wonder on what basis were our friendship built on?

5. and i always wonder why are there Peter Pan in the lyrics of this song.. i never knew why... till i found out the song title of this song... n i do a check on the lyrics... i realise... there is not PETER PAN in the song!!!! oh man... lucky i never ask people "Hey u all know the song with the Peter Pan one is what title huh?" u all know i mistaken Peter Pan to which part of the lyrics?

....... I am seriously disturbed that all these people are in uni!!! -_-

I know I am not the best writer, nor will I say I've mastered the English language at my fingertips. I don't write A-class essays, my vocab is lousy, but I sure as hell can spell, and I sure as hell know my basic grammar!!!!!!

X X X

好不容易又能再多爱一天
但故事的最后你好像还是说了Bye Bye.

周杰伦 - 晴天