Weight Problem

Well, I don't know what you mean, but you still look fabulous to me!

Eat all you want (but save me some souffles and some best desserts okay). :P

... or you can learn how to make them and make them for me when you visit! hehehe.

All Hallows' Eve

in about a few hour's time, daylight saving time is going to end and we shall have an hour extra. i absolutely love this time of the year because it gives me the illusion that i somehow gain a full hour to do whatever i want. not to mention its sorta magical to have a hidden hour sandwiched between two hours. something like walking into the wall at platform 11 and three quarters at the train station and emerging into a completely hidden world that J.K. Rowling created for Harry Potter and the gang. i sometimes envy Harry so much i wished i could be him. but back to reality. since i can't have a magic wand or a flying broom stick, i would settle for an extra hour... for now. ;)

it's Halloween tonight. on this festive night, everyone dressed up to go to house parties, using their most imaginative thoughts to conjure up a very extensive costume from head to toe that will hopefully stand out in the crowd. it's a fun time to be, and i bet they will have even more fun with the extra hour of more drinking and rowdiness. good times. :) but of course, yours truly have a bunch of stuff to do, so this year i'm skipping the celebration. decided its best to get my work done asap if i want some fun on thanksgiving. i need to check off as many things off my list as possible in order to enjoy the four-day holiday to the fullest, with nothing to worry about but savoring some early eggnog, cinnamon toast for breakfast, turkey, corn bread, pumpkin and pecan pies etc. so me thinks giving up hallows' eve is a small price to pay. ;)

it's the end of October now, and two months to go before 2010 comes. how time flies. tomorrow i shall be heading to the bookstore for some quiet read, and working on my apps. wish me luck.

When Boredom Kicks In

ugh. i can't believe i'm saying this, but i am bored!!!

technically i shouldn't be. but. I AM.

to illustrate my boredom, let me recount to you the highlight of my day.
.....
..............
........
uhm.
pause.
......
longer pause.
can i take a rain check...? i might have something interesting tomorrow?! (keyword: might)
oh wait.
i spoke less than 5 sentences today! that must be my personal record.

usually i don't mind having a lot of "me" time. but today it's making me feel very... dull. and i was reading a fiction about the Man from Mars. the Martian life, the future of our earth after world war III etc. the story tells of everything that is beyond the usual scope of imagination (everything not feasible in my lifetime, as far as i can tell) and it just makes everything right here right now, everything i'm familiar with, pales out. i would love to hop onto a parallel world on another planet, if such planet ever exists. i yearn for something completely different. something else. if only life is like a suit that you can peel off of yourself, i would be changing suits every so often. and most definitely - this very instance.

sigh. i guess i'm just very out of it today. i don't wanna be myself, i don't want my life, i don't wanna be me for a day--today. is it too impetuous to state a statement like that? i don't know. who cares. two more hours or so and the day is over. nothing's gonna happen. i mean, as much as i wished i could be tele-transported to another dimension or another world, it won't happen. (but if it does, and i make it back here, i'll be sure to share :P).

righto. should i go watch an episode of Boston Legal now? or watch a movie from the movie stash i got from Chean? maybe i should just be good and prepare for tomorrow's class. sigh.

sucha blah day today is. boo.

Just Another Weekday

What day is today? Where am I? Surely this must be an illusion... how can it be Thursday already when I don't remember living Monday through Wednesday? Well, okay, to be fair, that isn't entirely true. Truth is, I was treading the narrow expanse in between a clear consciousness and an involuntary state of grogginess. It has come to a point where it is only routine to be driving on the freeway with eyes half-closed, constantly having to slap my face awake and inflicting pain to keep myself alert. The remaining energy I have left is spent trying to solely focus on the back lights of the car in front of me, while everything else around me fades out into the background.

That said, today has been a good day (that is, if we don't take into account of the same old issues in the living quarter). My palms hurt from trying to smash those tiny little flying red dots to death, and I got my fair share of exercise cleaning up the kitchen floor. Can't be bothered to be mad anymore; it would've been emotionally and physically draining, and right now I need all the energy I can conserve. I could use the weekend off, but boss said there's a high chance we're all working. I just hope only the first and second shifts have to work. As much as I want that overtime pay, I could use some extra time working on my apps and sorting out the problem I didn't foresee before. It's looking quite bleak at this point, but we'll see.

It's been a while since I wrote any 10-page paper for a class, I wonder if I can still do it. This weekend, if I'm not working, will be spent working on a mid-term paper and research on Walgreens' financial ratios. Fun stuff. Maybe I should start writing about health care and keep a journal of what I've learnt so far in class. That should force me to keep up with the class reading.

WTF?! Festival

Heard about the WTF Festival over the radio, so I thought I'd check the website out. This is what it says on its website:

"The name of this festival came to me after a recent board meeting where I was told that due to the economic downswing and recent reduction in donations that we can no longer afford to produce theater. I was told it would be less expensive to do nothing. We’re not very good at doing nothing.

We have 70 members and we are fired up to go into production on a major piece in January.

So in the spirit of rebellion and our history of survival, we are going to produce 3 plays, host great artists and authors, screen free documentaries, have open forums for Veterans, have live music nights with great songwriters, present poetry and dance, screen ridiculously funny movies, host talkbacks with directors and try to raise enough money to survive this crap economy.

We are offering a wide variety of events that will fire up new audiences, help them to discover The Gang, and support our community outreach."

          ~ Tim Robbins, Curator WTF?! Festival '09

This artsy festival stretches from October all the way through December, so if you have time you should totally check it out. These movies may not be any blockbuster with huge advertising sponsorships backing them up, so you're likely to not have heard of them. Not all are films, mind you, some are conversations between renowned writers, some concerts etc.; some of the event synopses really intrigued me. Unfortunately I have too many commitments right now, and what with my work schedule that clashes with all the events, it means no-go for me.  But you who are reading this, if you're around the vicinity and are interested in stuff like this, do check the website out. You might find something that piques your interests. Have fun! And tell me about it if you do get a chance to see any of the shows/concerts/talks! :)

And We Do, Don't We All?

Jeff Buckley - We All Fall In Love Sometimes (Elton John's Cover)

Wise men say

It looks like rain today

It crackled on the speakers

And trickled down the sleepy subway trains

For heavy eyes could hardly hold us

Aching legs that often told us

It’s all worth it

We all fall in love sometimes

The full moon’s bright

And starlight filled the evening

We wrote it and I played it

Something happened it’s so strange this feeling

Naive notions that were childish

Simple tunes that tried to hide it

But when it comes

We all fall in love sometimes

Did we, didn’t we, should we couldn’t we

I’m not sure `cause sometimes we’re so blind

Struggling through the day

When even your best friend says

Don’t you find

We all fall in love sometimes

And only passing time

Could kill the boredom we acquired

Running with the losers for a while

But our Empty Sky was filled with laughter

Just before the flood

Painting worried faces with a smile

Kindle: oui, ou non?

I have tons of work to do which I haven't gotten around to yet. But for now I just wanna just write about this briefly. Been wanting to write on Kindle a couple months ago, but as always, Procrastination stuck its butt in front of me and tripped me up, hence i never got to it. there's always something else more urgent to get done. There still is, actually, as I sit here and type away. But with the rate it's going, I probably wouldn't ever get to write anything if I keep stalling. So here's my take on Kindle.

Last week (or was it the week before last?) Amazon came up with the international version of Kindle 2 that created a hype around the globe. Have to admit, a while back I really, really wanted one for myself. Simply because, well, I love gadgets for one, and also because I wouldn't have to worry about getting my books dog-eared if I put them in my bag and carry them wherever I go. Nevermind the design of it is sleek, it's thin and it's white--I love all things white; and it's environmental friendly. (Well, so they claimed anyway.) You can have multiple books saved in it--reportedly as many as 1500 books--and can read whichever you want whenever you want, instead of having to choose just one and carry it with you when you leave the house. And with Kindle's wireless service called Whispernet, you can Wiki or Google anything, anytime. It's great if you travel a lot; but even if you don't, it still makes reading so much more accessible no matter where you're at. In this digital age we're living in, it only makes sense to take reading to the next level, right?!

Kindle sounds like a great buy, doesn't it? Except... maybe it's not. I emphasize on "maybe", because this is just my opinion. Back then, when I wanted one for myself, I did a little research on it to see how it fared among the Kindle users. Reviews about it were mixed, but here are a few points that seemed consistent amongst users.1) The visual: The e-paper seemed to be grey-greenish, so for some it might be hard to read. For young invincibles like myself (haha! *rolls eyes*), this might not be a problem, but for others who would be staring at the 6" screen for hours straight, I would imagine they want something of a better quality. 2) E-readers are just not... books. Book lovers would know what I'm talking about. It's just a different experience altogether, and some people just want to enjoy the touch and smell of a book, myself included. And so... for that reason, some might be averse to e-books and all that digital stuff. 3) International fees. You might have heard, if you buy Kindle outside of the US, or if you bring your Kindle out of the US, you might have to pay some additional fees to access your magazine subscriptions that you've already paid for, not to mention a higher price for the same e-book. For some e-books, they might not even be available.

Those are just a few reasons. But if you ask me, I do think there is a future of e-books and digital reading. The market is definitely there, and people will embrace it, just like how they're quite adaptive to the integration of web 2.0 in their daily lives. For now though, technology has yet to catch up with our expectations, like having it more user-friendly, more economic i.e. free wifi and do away with additional fees, longer battery life, transferable e-books either to desktop, laptop, or other e-readers etc. It would be great if we can have encyclopedias, textbooks, journal articles saved in a handy e-book like Kindle. And finally, I don't see why we have to limit our choices to just Kindle. Rumors have it that Barnes & Noble will be coming out with their e-reader in the near future. Sony already has its own e-readers, though strangely enough it's not quite as popular as Kindle... probably due to Amazon's more effective marketing strategies.

Anyway, the verdict? I would say, unless you have extra 359 bucks to spare and don't know what to do with it, don't get it until a better version comes out. It is, of course, ultimately your own choice. But I personally would wait to see if better products will surface, or if the price would go down further more. For a device like this, I think 359 bucks is a little overpriced--at least from an economical consumer's perspective. [So, Mandy, I guess your wish of having a Kindle for your birthday will have to be postponed until something better comes along. :P]


Footnote: 
Here are a few articles if you'd like to read up more on Kindle.
1) Nicholson Baker's extensive review on Kindle and Its Future. A very entertaining and informative read, but be warned, it's 7 pages long. 
2) Engadget's Kindle 2 Review Comparison between Kindle 1 and 2, with images too.
3) Crunchgear's 10 reasons of To-Buy and Not-To-Buy 

Yin and Yang?

noticed this on the wall at the parking structure.

what you wanna make of it is entirely up to you... i will reserve my thoughts on this for myself.

Behold, World

1. i have a request. to food scientist/nutritionist or any food expert out there, can someone please invent chili jam already? chili is good for health (a moderate amount of it), everyone knows that. so why hasn't anyone come up with it yet? all the girl want is some spicy good red chili spread on my bread. instead i had to conciliate with some green paste that marketeers called it Kaya (see below) but it is in essence just sugary paste with green coloring. i want my money back, and i want some good ol' Kaya. but even more so, i want the chili jam i'm talking about!!
2. the other day while waiting to cross the road, i leaned against the lamp post. but as soon as i moved away a splatter of bird shit fell onto the ground exactly where i was standing just a fraction of a second ago. i looked up and saw the glorious butt of a pigeon. it must have had a good meal and it all just came out, in the form of greenish liquidy mush with white spots in it. healthy bird. no constipation at all. i envy the bird... but back to the main story. i was really lucky to have avoided it. or else, it would've been the third time in my life so far to have bird shit fall on me. (the first time was right on my head--on the first day of chinese new year, no less -___-)
3. have i mentioned my favorite sandwich at McD's has always been Fillet o Fish? well, at least in Malaysia that's my favorite. the fillet over here, ironically, is nothing in comparison to the ones back home. why is that? even the one in russia is so much better! :(  i'm never going to McD's for that fillet anymore. hmph. and oh, for the record, eating carl's jr's fish and chips is more like drinking oil. i think i just clogged a few of my arteries because of that oil i consumed. :((
   
4. i have a confession to make: i haven't been keeping my vegetarian vow, at all. :( i should start being good again. *guilt-strickened*

Footnote: Kaya is also commonly known as coconut jam, made from coconut milk, eggs, and sugar, flavored with screwpine extract. it's the screwpine that makes it so flavorful and exotic. it can be golden brown or greenish in color, depending on the amount of screwpine extract used and the extent of caramelization of it. i think. anyway, google it if you wanna learn how to make it. :) [edited: if you succeed in making it, please share some with me. :)) ]

3am

She says it's cold outside and she hands me my raincoat

She's always worried about things like that

She says it's all gonna end and it might as well be my fault

And she only sleeps when it's raining

And she screams and her voice is straining

chorus:

She says baby

It's 3 am I must be lonely

When she says baby

Well I can't help but be scared of it all sometimes

Says the rain's gonna wash away I believe it

She's got a little bit of something, God it's better than nothing

And in her color portrait world she believes that she's got it all

She swears the moon don't hang quite as high as it used to

And she only sleeps when it's raining

And she screams and her voice is straining

[chorus]

She believes that life is made up of all that you're used to

And the clock on the wall has been stuck at three for days, and days

She thinks that happiness is a mat that sits on her doorway

But outside it's stopped raining

[chorus]

three a.m. left right left right left right. i watch my feet bring me from the carpeted cubicle to the non-carpeted floor, pass a door, onto the carpeted corridor, make a right to the coffee room. actually it isn't even a "room" per se, just a counter with the coffee machine, a sink, a toaster and a mini fridge. and as i heat up my "dinner", i think about all the things i have done in the past, some of the things i am doing now, and stuff i will be doing in the near future. sometimes it baffles even myself why on earth i did some things i did when i could have had it a thousand and one other ways. these puzzles are revisited now and then, with me trying to comprehend my actions (and inactions). i try to rationalize things, yet time and again the effort has proven to be less than successful. perhaps it's not that important as i thought, to understand 'why'. perhaps i should just carry on with life and contemplate less about the past. or perhaps i should hop onto a time machine and go back to my past as a third person and see things from the outside to get a better, more objective view...

the beeper of the microwave goes off, i retrieve my cow food and watch my feet bring me back to my cubicle again. if i could find a time machine, if there is such a thing, i wouldn't hesitate for a second to go back to my past. but for now, as i enjoy the tiny slice of haven in the eight and a half hours of mundane routine, i shall pepper my mind with more interesting and stimulating questions. like, where to find a time machine. or how to build an empire to take over the world and demolish the evil power and/or corporations once and for all. maybe hire a mad scientist (who has a good heart) to come up with a protein that could recognize the trait of gluttony (assuming of course, that it is a genetic trait), have the protein couple with that part of the gene and subsequently cause the whole organism to undergo self-destruction. that would be the epitome of applied biotech at its best in the real world, and the world will never be the same again. or maybe i could write a book about intense topics. something like what george orwell or aldous huxley wrote. hmmm.

okay that was me being lame and nonsensical. back to work. (although, i wouldn't mind if someone steals my idea and invent that protein that kills evil, evil people. really, i wouldn't mind.)

happy thursday! will i work this weekend? will see.

p.s. the above italicized portion is the lyrics from the song "3 a.m." by matchbox 20. (in case you're wondering).

Hello Morning

you know fall is here when the sun doesn't creep up as early as six in the morning anymore. the chilly air at half past six a.m. seeps through your pores and demands for attention that sends its 'signal' to the higher cognitive center which is then translated into random cravings--and it usually involves food. today, a good steaming cuppa hazelnut latte and a freshly baked double chocolate chip cookie the size of a saucer just out from the oven would be heavenly.

i'm a night person, but i'm also a morning person. i enjoy my short ride home, even if i would more-often-than-not be smacked in between a gigantic truck and some arrogant dangerous driver, and traffic is crawling at 10 to 20 mph. i like to see the sky light up, as if someone's up there painting it; and each day there's a different mishmash of colors you can never get bored looking at it. i don't think i've ever mentioned how much i cherish my morning jogs at the beach, breathing in the salty breeze, sweating, and listening to my heart thumping so hard. i'd much rather jog to the beach and back; i just don't have the stamina to do so yet. (but i will, it's just a matter of time.) i love how so many people go running and surfing in the morning. and every saturday there will be at least nine or ten teams of LA road runners practicing for their upcoming marathon, each team about 20 to 30 people running in pairs, each team running at their own speed. it inspires me so much to see them running effortlessly, someday i wanna be just like them. reckon it's much more fun to run with a group of people too. hmmm maybe i'll join one of the teams some time in the future.

on saturdays you get eye-candies too. scattered everywhere, you'll see groups of people of which there will be a guy who seemed to be the trainer, coaching a group of eight to ten rich middle-aged ladies, working them on various muscle-toning and strengthening exercises, cheering for them and yelling at them for speed and better postures. the coach is usually quite cute too, if i might add. :P i wonder how much they pay him for the sessions. then there are the couples jogging together; couples jogging and pushing their little ones in strollers; couples with dogs; cyclers in tight suits and pants; rollerbladers; skateboarders etc. and as you get closer to the pier, you'll see more tourists posing away for the instantaneous capture of memories. (speaking of which, i still have to edit my pictures i took the other day.)

morning, especially the wee hours just before sunrise, is my favorite time of the day. in many ways, i'm glad i work graveyard shift, because then instead of being stuck in traffic with millions of other people going to work in the morning, i get off work and get to enjoy the beautiful sunrise and morning, grab coffee and bagel at a cafe and read or study. i only wish i didn't have to sleep. then i'd have 24 hours to utilize and catch up on all the things i have yet to do.

there's never enough time to use, is there?

Mind Game

sensation. sometimes you don't, and can't, see it--but you feel it. does it mean it's unreal? is it just a figment of your imagination? probably.

but who's to say any figment of your imagination that doesn't occur to others is unreal. at the very least, it's real to you; no one can deny that. what occurs in your head is yours, and rightfully so.

it happened again; it's the second night in a row. the tingling sensation, not unlike the feet of a centipede touching ever so lightly on your skin. except perhaps it's only a hundredth, maybe even a thousandth of the aforementioned description that lingered on for hours, at the center of the forehead, where the hairline intersects with the forehead. maybe it's just paranoia. it could be just the tiny baby hair tickling the forehead. so the hand inevitably reached out to scratch it, hoping that persisting itch, however mild it was, would disappear.

if acoustic is to haptic, then this sensation, in an acoustic sense, would be something like a low humdrum that goes on and on at a very low frequency. it's there it's not really affecting you but it could be really annoying especially when there's no way of stopping it, since you can't tell where the sound originated from.

at some point, patience reached its threshold and the forehead was red from all the scratching. suddenly a horrifying thought came to mind. what if it was some kind of minuscule bug, unnoticeable by the naked eye, trying to burrow its way into the head. what if it was some brain-feasting bug?! the brain was convinced it would be punctured by the bug and became bug food. so it went on a defensive mode, trying all sorts of remedies like wiping alcohol on it, washing face with cleanser, and then with facial scrub, followed by a facial mask, all of which the brain has no idea if it would work but just did it anyway.

thankfully, it was but a scare. no prions-alike bugs, no burrowing into the scalp, no holes in brain. i deserve a night of peaceful sleep. cheers. :)

Have Fun at Work

someone said, "work is supposed to be fun! if you don't have fun at work, what's the point of going to work?!"

uhm. yah. unfortunately not everyone has the luxury of getting a fun job. and while it's partly about perspectives, whether you wanna see the glass half-full or half-empty, there are jobs out there that can't be considered as fun or exciting. i mean, somebody has to clean the toilet, collect trash, work in sewerage plants, right?! and to be fair, one can hardly call those jobs "fun", no matter how you see it. if everyone wants an easy fun job, then who's going to do the dirty (in the literal sense, not denigrating sense) work?! it will only lead to the failure in sustainability of a functional society.

yes, i know, everyone wants that fun element in their workplace, in the job that they do--and quite rightfully so--but a huge majority of the working class are working mainly because they need the paycheck to foot their bills. and when it comes to striving for a livelihood, the fun element can be forgone from the equation, can it not? it'd be awesome if it's there, but let's be pragmatic too. life is not always how you want it to be.

so while i dream of being the CEO of a multimillion company in a 7-star hotel somewhere in the desert (because i am needed there for a conference or meeting or whatever), sipping champagne watching tv enjoying a hot bubble bath while someone does my pedicure, i'm also making a mental note of all the to-do's for the rest of the week, making sure i get all the reading done for my two classes etc. maybe someday i'll get there--doing something i love without worrying about the financial aspects of things. but for now, the words i heard should only serve as an inspiration to keep pursuing my dreams, instead of invoking negative feelings towards my job.

in a few hours' time, i will be off to work. working graveyard is peaceful; i just pray for an easy night. and of course, i shall try to "have fun at work". ;)

Roommate #2's Birthday

It was a feast. It's not your typical Malaysian home-cooked meal (well, duh, they're from China not Malaysia), it's close enough to elicit the feeling of warmth that you get when sitting down with fam for a good meal. Dishes: tofu with century eggd and soy sauce, eggs with tomatoes, greens, glass noodles with pork and napa, steak (or was it pork ribs? i forgot), lobster-and-tofu soup, and eggplant. oh and watermelon too.

the best coffee sponge cake in town, i dare say. gotta ask where they got it.

she closed her eyes and genuinely made a wish.
and as she did so, i silently wished it will come true for her, whatever that wish was.
hmmm... she's only turning twenty-one! i can't recall my 21st bday. :(

 Roommate 2 and Roommate 3.

best of friends. although if you ask me, they looked more like a couple. :P

and this was everyone present on that evening. meet my roommates and their friends.

The girl next to me is Roommate 1; the other 2 girls are Roommate 2's friends from college.

Pictures from Bridal Shower

Okay so in conjunction with my post on Dhara's bridal shower, here are some pics i "stole" from sheena's facebook hehe. :P thank you sheena. :))) there are more pics but i decided it's too embarrassing to put them up here, so i'll just keep them for myself.

i like. :)) this, and along with the red carpet. and the Bollywood sign in the house. 

this is what i was talking about. very creative indeed eh! 

can you spot me? this is too easy. no prize even if you can. :P

Sssssssss. (inside joke). :D

Sweet Sixteen

i wish i were blogging about my sweet sixteen. and how i'd throw the most lavish party in town, of which only the cool people could come; shop for a skanky dress thought highly of by people around me because some celebrity had something like that and i had to have one too; then find a pair of shoes that must absolutely go with it (the dress)--and i don't care if someone has to bring it in from Paris or Italy or wherever. and somewhere along the way i'll have to throw a fit and order a dozen of people around, make their lives a hellhole just to please me, because i'm the princess and because i should get what i want whenever i want.

oh wait. those are someone else's birthdays. on TV. i always find shows like that boring. it's always the same old story. show me something new!! ah well, i guess it's making money and that's all that matter.

but of course, the point of writing this post is not to bitch about reality tv shows. (pleaseeee. i have better things to do than that.) it's my little brother's birthday, and he just turned 16! yayyyyyy. :)))) i remember the days when i used to carry him around like my little trophy and showing off to my friends. days when i just couldn't stop holding him. days when i had to clean his shit (literally)... then he grew up little by little, and before i realize it he's already off to the Lion City, shaping his own future there.

there were gaps of years when i wasn't there for him as he was growing up. the 2 years in russia, and the past 3 years. now i'm still not there for him..geographically speaking, that is. still, there are plenty of memories to live by, and though we can't create new ones by spending time together, at least i can still keep in touch with him with the help of technology. and amongst all our memories, this particular one is my favorite. long long time ago when he was just six, or five (i forgot), i went out with friends and didn't get home till late. mom was mad at me for not getting home early, dad was overseas for work. so while mom was seething and contemplating my punishment (all this was related to me by mom later on), little brother went up to her and told her not to be mad. he said, maybe jie has something to discuss with friends and forgot bout time. awwwww.. it doesn't seem like much right now as i tell you this, but for a 5 or 6 year old to say that?! i think it was pretty amazing. was (and still am) absolutely touched and smitten. :)))

anyway. i just wanted to wish him Happy Birthday. :)  the boy is taking his O-level in a month's time or so. all the best!! you can do it! much love, all the way from U.S. of A.

Three Walls and a Sliding Door

the cursor on my word document is blinking once every 1.13 seconds, and has been at the same position for the longest time. i can't produce anything substantial. every sentence i wrote only lasted at most a few minutes before i hit 'backspace'. last year it took me weeks to write an entire essay that i was somewhat satisfied with. but after 360 days or so, the essay seemed almost like a joke to me. now that i read it, my application probably would've ended up in the reject pile if i'd have submitted it in.

at times like these, i need a place to think. a space where i am alone with myself, no interruption, no one to talk to, no virtual world of the internet to be sucked in, no bills to worry about. much to my delight, i found a place in the entire universe where i can attain some form of peace, allow the wildest imagination to dance in my head, and just enjoy the gushing droplets pelting against me. i'd stand under the shower head letting the steamy hot water massage my shoulder, washing away all the stress and emotional stains. and as i watch them swirl down the drain, i prepare myself to face the world again.

it's funny how a confined space as such can provide solitary and freedom to oneself. freedom, as it seems, has nothing to do with the physical world. but really, i don't know why i'm here talking about this when i'm supposed to be writing The Essay. i should go take a shower now, and try brainstorming there. later!

Cheating

walking along the pedestrian path, this little pigeon was sorta walking/jumping next to me for a good distance. hey there little friend, i thought i might have company today while i jogged. but when i picked up my pace, this little friend couldn't keep up, got frustrated and took off gleefully. it rested on the trash bin a few meters ahead, head askew, and looked back at me. as if to say, look who's faster now. that little thing! grrrr. that's not fair, that's cheating--i don't have wings!!! but as that thought strikes me, i realize how silly i must now sound. my pigeon friend probably wasn't even thinking of jogging with me to begin with, let alone cheating to be ahead of moi. it probably wasn't thinking at all. flying is its nature and so it's just doing it's 'thing'. :)

we, the homo sapiens, on the other hand, think too much. the brain, the higher cognitive ability, our conscience and self-awareness--all this is a boon, but also a curse at times. sometimes i just wanna live a simple life. in a fishing village, surrounded by sleets of ice, knee-deep snow, friendly polar bears. and maybe a couple of clumsy penguin friends. :) someday, perhaps.

35th Weekend

today is the last day of the 35th week of the year. another 17 weeks to go before 2009 comes to an end. how's it looking for you guys so far? if it hasn't turned out the way you wanted it to be, it's still not too late to get to your 2009 resolutions! mine is... alright. not going too well, but could be worse. so no complaints there.

it's been a relaxing weekend for me, and with labor day falling on a Monday, it's a 3-day weekend--always a good thing to not have to work on Mondays because i'd get Sunday blues (less frequent these days, i'm improving :P). doing cardio definitely helps regulate the hormones, and i'm not as restless after a run, even if it's a short one.

went jogging/walking with my camera at the crack of dawn, so technically i didn't sweat much. but the combination of the occasional jog of 100 meters and the therapeutic clicks of the camera gave me a high that i haven't felt for quite some time. the exam stress has added a few more wrinkles underneath my eyes, and i do resemble a panda sometimes, i'm not even kidding. :( anyhow, i shall post up some pictures once i'm done editing them. i only hope it won't take forever. hehe :P

it's also Roommate 2's birthday today. Roommate 3 cooked up a feast, and they invited 2 other friends over. all in all, i had a good time with them, though i couldn't catch what they were saying at times. their mandarin's a lil too fast for me, and they have their Northern colloquial language that i don't get. but it's all good, i'm amused and am learning. :) can't wait for the day when i can speak like that. :P so yeah i'll be putting up pictures of my roommates too. stay tuned!

oooh. forgot to mention. pras' ayam masak merah, eggplant, and kangkung belacan were sinfully delicious! and getting together with her, jessoms, and chean on saturday was a lot of fun. chean found a newly opened dessert shop in san dimas, they said they'll be having a cupcake-eating competition on their grand opening. a 10-pound cupcake! if i could make it, i'd go take pictures of the grand opening (more specifically the eating contest.. it'd be fun if they can't use hands to eat hehehe). no pictures again, because my smart-ass forgot to bring the camera. hung out with choon at night over a cuppa hot mocha. good times with good old friends. didn't get to meet up with more peeps, maybe next time. righto, till the next post!

For Fun

i would say pictures speak louder than words...
except in this case, it's a picture of words that is really conveying the message. :D
anyhow, the statement stands true: women make the world go round.
so gentlemen, be nice to your women.
ooops... i mean - woman!! :P