June x 2

You see a pair of eyes staring at you from your keyboard.

Labels: half-baked

photo credit: here.

*update at 3:50am*
Awful cloudy out there... I see like, one star, from my window. Think I'll just go back to bed, although there is this nagging feeling that I should do it anyway since I'm up... but walking 25 minutes to the rooftop of my school under such weather conditions seems to be foolish and I should not yield to my stubborn streak. (I have more than one stubborn streak apparently. Another stubborn streak who does not yield to stubborn streaks.)

Sigh. At least I learnt more about meteors and comets and constellations during my meteor shower fervour yesterday afternoon. Shirked all my duties too. Sigh.

*yawns**goes back to bed sadly*

Labels: bloody-cool, outings, Singapore

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Labels: cooking, dragonboat, lalala-europa, resolutions, travelling

Am going to cook soup in the crockpot, take a quick shower, and snuggle under covers to take a nap with full knowledge that I'm going to wake up to something scrumptious later. *grins with half-closed eyes*

Labels: good-mood-ramblings, half-baked, photos

Subtitled: The wandering mind of a bored academic

I was walking home, thinking about the consequences of modernity by Anthony Giddens which I read today, swinging my retractable umbrella as I strode, when my thoughts took a sudden turn towards the umbrella.

It could have been because at the exact moment that I was thinking about the fascinating idea about how, according to Giddens, money is a means of time-space distanciation because it separates your (future) possessions and you, that my retractable umbrella popped and extended itself because of centrifugal force.

Said umbrella was in my hand, not because it was raining, but because it was the last object that I picked up from the office desk before leaving. It is a pretty sweet umbrella really, small and handy, purple and silver in colour. One thing interesting about it is that, from the point of purchase to date, it has never shielded me from rain. It never rains when I have it in my bag. It always rains when, because of whatever reason, it is not in my bag. I consider this as one of the immutable laws of my life, that I have a small retractable umbrella that never gets wet. This constant is comforting in current times of post-modern turbulence.

Then I thought, since that it is no good as a shield against the weather, there should be some other purpose for it. Indeed, after some reflection, I found that the umbrella that I own is in actual fact, useful in multiple ways in diverse circumstances. For instance, it is remarkably suitable as a massager, as I found myself hitting the back of my sore neck with it. Just the right length and hardness.

Also, an umbrella like that is very useful in the event that you encounter a flasher. Besides the obvious utility of it as a weapon causing irreversible reproductive damage, someone once told me that you should actually break the spirit of the flasher by making a pointed comparison of the length of the umbrella at hand and his exposed willy. This renders the usage of the umbrella as a phallic symbol; and with adequate reflex, it can also be used as a phallic symbol causing irreversible reproductive damage.

But my mighty umbrella is not only an instrument of self-defense. It also promotes mindfulness and heightened alertness to the self and the environment, by being a tool of meditation. By concentration, one is able to twirl the umbrella by its attached string with the optimal amount of force, completing a perfect arc without popping and extending it. This takes careful coordination between the mental and physical faculties, taking into account wind speed and humidity of the surrounding environment. With years of practice, one can eventually attain a state of bliss and perhaps, a position in a marching band as the baton twirler.

Reaching the lift to my apartment, there was an Indian guy whose cell phone was playing a catchy Bollywood tune, as he waited. In such a situation, the umbrella becomes useful as an emergency movie set prop. In the event that random bystanders pop out behind pillars and start dancing to the background music, as they are prone to, the umbrella will be useful as a prop to dance with, strategically hiding its owner's mediocre dancing capabilities.

Truly, the retractable umbrella I have is an amazing instrument, its extensive uses limited only by the sky, and only a sky with heavy grey clouds. With this conclusion I fumbled for my keys and entered the apartment, ending my 20-minute walk home.

Labels: inventions, musings, random-stuff, rapid-voice-in-my-head

Pictures stolen from Tony Twentytwo's camera.

Labels: =), nest, NTU Buds, photos

Self-explanatory title.

Labels: half-baked, Rants

A nice dinner a good night out
is all you need to get rid of that pout
so put on your shoes and straighten your dress
'cause tonight you're gonna get your rest.
If all you want is scream and shout
I'll be your friend to hear you out
If all you need is a little company
I'll be here so just feel comfy

~ Tony Twentytwo, 5th November, 2009
during dinner at Cafe by the Quad

T_T begitulah kawan... terharunya....

Labels: bloody-cool, NTU Buds, poetry

Divorce-hit Terengganu wants to spice up sex life of newlyweds

(From The Star)

KUALA TERENGGANU: Body odour, humdrum sex and boring pyjamas have been blamed for the high divorce rate in Terengganu and the state government is coming up with innovative ways to improve sexual relations, especially among newly-weds.

Top on its list is to invite cosmetic firms to introduce exotic and sensuous fragrances that can arouse sexual desire.

And husbands and wives are being encouraged to bathe together.

State Religious and Information Committee deputy chairman Muhammad Ramli Nuh believes that these moves can curb the divorce rates among young couples.

He told The Star yesterday that at least three in every 10 marriages in the state end in divorce, adding that separation was now the prevalent trend among couples aged between 25 and 30 years.

Muhammad Ramli said couples who had been married for less than five years and were on the verge of separation had told counsellors that routine sex and body odour were the main reasons for them to want to break up.

He said he was bewildered that some of these couples said their spouses’ old-fashioned pyjamas – sarong and t-shirt – and bad smell during intimate moments made their sex life monotonous or turned them off completely.

“I know of one case where a separation was triggered just because the spouse smelled of fish crackers,” he said.

As such, he said the state government – through state Family Development Board – was asking cosmetic firms to introduce special perfumes for the couples so they could “sustain their relationships, hopefully for eternity.”

Muhammad Ramli said married couples should bathe together to make their relationship more exciting.

“I met this elderly couple in Kelantan, they bathe together although they are grandparents; they enjoy a blissful marriage, this is when I mooted the idea where this method could be introduced as part of the pre-marital courses conducted in the state,” he said.

Muhammad Ramli said the state government was also sourcing for consultants to provide grooming workshops.

“This workshop is not only meant for the wives but also to provide men with tips on how to be attractive to their spouse at all times,” he said.

He said these consultants could also suggest the right lingerie to be worn.

Muhammad Ramli added that the state government had engaged marriage consultants to mediate between feuding couples.

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hahahahahahhahahahhaa fish crackers hahahahaha

Labels: Malaysia, Terengganu, wahahaha, wtf