Day 5

Presenting Day 5's topic:

Six things you wish you hadn't done

IMO, this topic's a bit too open-ended for my liking. Just how immediate or trivial are we talking as far as regretful actions go? For instance, I regret publishing most of my posts so quickly due to the grammatical mistakes I always seem to make when I don't properly proofread, or just eating a little bit of the Lindt chocolate bunny just then.

Anyway, since I dislike going into too personal subject matters that border on being deep and meaningful on a blog, I'll keep this list neat and tidy:

1. I wish I hadn't been so sedentary in year 10. All I seem to remember from that year (apart from the ridiculously hilarious feuding) was just eating and sitting (a glorious but disastrous existence). I don't think I even did any sport except for softball in first term (and let's face it, it's not the most active sport out there). I'm convinced that I'm still attempting to burn away the calories some 4 years later. Oh Karma, how you bite so deeply.

2. I wish I'd never lost my original Nokia 3315 back in year 8. If there was ever a time when a small action had long-lasting and scarring repercussions this would be it. My fringe, the pride and joy of my year 8 self, was sheared away by my raging mother. Hell hath no fury like a mother angered. And so I was subjected to a hairstyle that was probably as close as I'll ever get to having a mullet and being 'masculine' (courtesy of J). When there had been some re-growth, I was upgraded from Asian bogan to a hardcore fan of the Sandy character from the Monkey tv series with the similar hairstyle and all:



3. I wish I hadn't decided to wash my white Converse sneakers. I think I have a complex about white articles of clothing. I know the upkeep of white clothing is a lot of work and the odd stain does occur here and there at times, but those factors still don't stop me from almost pedantically checking on how white my white items are. So I finally decided to give my white Converse sneakers a well-needed clean to relieve them of the term's dirt and dust. Instead of being restored to their former pearly glory, my Converses seem to look as if they've become sweat-stained. I mean, I wouldn't have minded it so much if the whole shoe had taken on that (particularly unpleasant) tinge. At least it may have appeared as if I had a really bad taste in sneaker colours. But no, now it just seems I have an excessively bad sweaty feet problem that seemingly affects my left foot than the other. To this day, I have no reasonable explanation behind my shoes' metamorphoses. Another mystery of life perhaps. >_>

4. I wish I didn't burn bridges so easily. 1 and a bit years later and I'm regretting having burnt bridges with certain people. It was such a pointless exercise. I can't even keep tabs on them directly. Like really, Facebook isn't even a viable medium! But stalking aside, I do I wish I hadn't so easily finished things on a sour note. A costs vs. benefits analysis would've probably told me that but apologies, I was never very good at Economics.

5. I wish I hadn't noticed how much i moult. Out of sight, out of mind right? Compounded by my dad going through a hair-loss phase, I have this fear that I'll end up hairless by the time I'm in my thirties. And to be honest, I don't really want to look as ridiculous as Shane Warne does:




(Courtesy of The Telegraph)

6. I wish I hadn't been so much of a lemming. When I was in my early teens, I felt that a good proportion of my time was spent on worrying about not fitting into whatever the mould was at the time. Even now I'll admit that I can be the hypocritical lemming and still run off whatever cliff everyone's heading towards, but I certainly feel that I've found my own groove since then. It's been a working a progress and I'm still trying to find the niche that's me in and amongst the ephemeral fashion styles and the popular trends (think Asian peace symbol). Cool beans? Cool beans.

Day 4

Seven things that cross your mind a lot

- "Why do my eyes feel so uncomfortable at the moment?" This thought has crossed my mind a lot the past two weeks. I attribute the question to the state of my eyelids. Instead of being single-lidded as per normal, they've tended to become double-lidded when I wake up. I'm not sure why. If I did, I would be patenting it and hawking it off to my fellow Koreans (who'd want plastic surgery anyway?). The mullah would be mine.

But no, the mystery behind the sudden double factor goes unresolved. So I'm left with wondering at odd and random times why my eyes feel so strange and double-lidded. I don't think they even make my eyes appear bigger. What a lose-lose situation.

- "I wish everyone could just start dancing right now." Yes, I wish God (was) a DJ and Life (was) a dance floor (courtesy of Pink). Things would be so much simpler. I sometimes hope that Hugh Jackman would just come along and pluck a Lipton Ice Tea out of nowhere and start dancing. I'd be right there, busting out all the moves. :D

-"Oh well, that's awkward." Such a thought is usually accompanied by the following signs:

a) A lone brow being raised precariously close to the hairline

b) A side-long glance directed at any individual in close radius who may also just be carrying out the same action

c) A slightly uncomfortable impression that gives off an amalgam of emotions such as concern, bewilderment and embarrassment for the awkward party

d) A nervous laugh

I leave out the Awkward Turtle because it's so overt. I heard that it's supposed to disperse any awkward tension in the air but I'm convinced that this is a fake claim! As someone once pointed out, an Awkward Turtle just confirms that a situation, which may have just passed under everyone's awkward-radar, is well and truly awkward. But I do understand the undeniable urge to bring it out every so often. How else would our thumbs be given such a strenuous workout?

-"I hope it doesn't rain." It's funny how in summer I always wish that it would rain so that I'd have a legitimate reason to sing 'Summer Rain'. And then, as soon as the seasons change to winter, I'm always hoping that we could have a relatively dry winter so that I didn't have to worry about splashing or squelching flats. I mean sure, it's a purely selfish thought that doesn't take into account the drought situation but let's not kid ourselves here. We're still not taking the earth-friendly three-minute showers, are we? (If you are, kudos!)

-"I like what he/she's wearing!" For mere mortals like myself, fashion doesn't start from Vogue or the runways. The stuff's either too perfect or too outlandish – ideal qualities for eye-candy. It's when you start to see that girl in your seminar class wear a particular item and admire how well it suits when the object of your appraisal becomes slowly integrated into the category of 'fashionable' wear. Some may derogatorily call it being the ultimate trend-follower but I maintain that I don't sink to the level of an avid Cotton On/Supre shopper. Because after all, that would just make me an ordinary lemming who loves super-tight tights. Ew.

-"Oh dear. I'm procrastinating again." Pretty sure this particular notion needs no further explanation. Any further writing would probably just prolong the irony of procrastination.

-"I <3 Titan."

(I have a vision of the future: Forget about crazy cat lady. Boxer-lovin' spinsters will be everywhere. Coming soon in about 30 years time to a neighbourhood near you.)

Day 3

It pains me to admit it but my life until now has been devoid of romance. Perhaps that's why I have to live vicariously through fictional characters' like/love/lust experiences. So for me, the thought of liking/loving/lusting after someone has always been a vague concept. I suppose it's like someone who's never eaten pork pondering about the taste of pork. Then again, it's not as if one who's never eaten pork has never seen a pig. 

If I haven't lost you yet, to extrapolate the analogy back to the present topic, I'd say that even if I haven't experienced any of those l-words, I can certainly imagine what it would take to have those experiences. 

And so, I come to address Day 3's topic:

Eight ways to win your heart

1. Don't be a radical. Radicals... worry me. Being too far on either side of the spectrum is just overwhelming. It's all about flexibility, see? And if it's true about what 'they' say about everything coming down to money, religion and politics, I think I'd eventually start to argue with a person too stuck in one camp. I identify myself as a conservative-progressive, a Bhuddist-Christian, a stingy-mass-consumerist and the list goes on. As society progresses, it's imperative that views change.

2. To offset all that deep and meaningful mumbo-jumbo, here's a rather shallow requirement: Be fit. Before this year, I would've said that any body type would've been fine with me (even a little pudginess would've been okay!) but now... I'm more picky. It might be because the guys at college are fitness-obsessed but I've come to appreciate a fit body. 'Appreciate' in the sense that I enjoy how I can exercise with a fit guy, not 'appreciate' as in 'Helloooo eye candy!'. 

3. Be a conversationalist! Awkward moments should be avoided at all costs! There's a particular guy that I know of. For now, we'll call him J. Whenever J and I see each other, we're obliged to start a conversation since we're Facebook friends, have quite a few mutual friends, see each other outside of uni times etc. And so the transcript of a typical conversation between us would be as such: 

"Hey J."

"Hey K."

"So how's uni treating you?"

"Yeah it's fine. How about you?"

"Yes, it's pretty good."

"Cool."

"Yeah."

"..."

"..."

Don't even try denying you haven't had those sort of conversations that don't break past the safe topic of polite niceties (Ah! So many negatives in that sentence!). But on the off-chance that you haven't... leave a comment and we'll start from there... ;) 

...-cough-

But no seriously, I think it's important that the barrier of politeness is broken and a level of easiness is reached where absolutely anything can be breached and nothing (much) will be taboo. 

4. Be proactive please. To the man who'll be the object of my l-words (I'm still holding out that it'll happen soon. Maybe. Well soon-ish.), please show some interest in me. Don't be all cagey about how you feel. It's not as if I'm expecting a big ol' flag being waved in my face but being proactive on your part is certainly a nice indicator of something happening. 

5. BE MANLY! I find it attractive when I'm with someone who doesn't make me wonder why I'm re-living my high school days again. Don't get me wrong, a feminine touch does make the world go round (Feminists unite!) but there are certainly times when I'm thankful for the diversity that the opposite sex brings. So no half-hearted attempts there thanks. 

6. Be smiley. :D I like smiles. 

7. Be a practical romantic. I don't expect anyone to be writing sappy love poems or serenading me outside my window (that's just uber embarrassing). I'll be secretly delighted if there are thoughtful romantic touches made here and there, like waiting for me if I'm late. It's the small things that make me swoon. 

8. Finally, have a deep character. I'd like a person who was insightful enough to offer a fresh perspective on matters and didn't float around in the shallows. Otherwise, I might just start to think that nothing else but physical attraction was holding us together. And that would just be.. carnal lust I guess? Rowr! 

Anyway, a shout-out to Viv who invited me to High-Tea at the Hotel Windsor. Thanks, it was full of gastronomical pleasures and great conversation! :)

Day 2

In continuation of the 10 Day Blogging Challenge, here is Day 2's topic:

Nine things about yourself

(NB: I feel oddly self-conscious when I do these things since it reminds me of those high school quiz things. But let's just imagine it's for the sake of being reminiscent and all that shiz.)

- I have this big hang-up about raisins. Raisins and I just don't mix. I'd be willing to eat pastries with raisins in them but that's about as close raisins and I get in this tumultuous relationship of ours. I get really creeped out whenever I find raisins in savoury foods at college. Sausage curry with raisins? Beef curry with raisins? No. Just no.

Courtesy of Google Images

Maybe it's the brown wrinkles that turn me off. I'm not quite sure.

- You know those dreams that you have when you wake up suddenly after falling or dying etc.? Mine's about running around on the oval of my first primary school. There were these tree logs that separated the playground and the oval. I'll be running over to the playground but I'd trip on the log. End of dream sequence. And then I found $20. Har har har.

- I have this, well, star-crush.

Courtesy of Star News

This (fantastic-looking) guy is called Cha Seung Won. I can't tell you what his likes and interests are because my crush isn't that deep and meaningful at all (insert disinterested hair flick). But he's pretty much the coolest being ever. This isn't even my inner, irrational fangirl-self gushing. He's so cool. Just go watch Blades Of Blood. 

- Until early last year, I had the *absolute pleasure* of having a Nokia 3315 accompany me on my day-to-day going ons. In retrospect, our relationship was probably based on pure need. Oh, I could attempt to stave off the need to use it for as long as possible. I could satisfying the need in the privacy of isolation but it knew that at some point, I would have to use it. And how it reveled in my weakness! I used it to answer the numerous calls from the parentals in the middle of a busy cafe, and it cackled away as it basked in the mildly-judgmental looks dished out to me. But at last, I was able to ditch it for the so much more respectable Nokia E71. And so far, our association has been built on mutual respect and all the goodly stuff of a healthy relationship. 

- I like admiring legs.

- I'm one of those romance junkies. Not the Mills and Boon-type but I mean, romance plays a big part of whether or not I'll like a particular film/book. Case in point: the Harry Potter series. Sorry, but the whole Ron/Hermione thing just ruined it for me. It also makes me sad when I'll be reading a book and there's so much obvious chemistry between Character A and Character B but the author has no romance between them! Like, come on! I don't want to be reading in-between the lines! That's far too subtle for me!

- My favourite word is probably 'extemporaneous'. Perhaps because it's so extemporaneous. I'm not sure.

- Although winter means wet and gray days, it also means no waxing. Hence, I like winter. The world would be a happier place without waxing kits.

- I went through an Argyle-pattern obsession. It's still kind of there but I think it mostly died with the realisation that hyper-preppiness isn't the best style.

(D, I hope you don't mind but I did steal your Feedjit widget. Thanks.)

Day 1

Since F decided to do a 10 Day Blogging Challenge and I was lacking inspiration for a new post amidst my blogging revival, I thought I'd also participate.

Ten things you want to say to ten different people right now.

"I'm excited to see you wearing something other than tights this winter! :P Bye! (Bye)"

"Let's murder Steven and Jenny together. Screw their contract (or lack thereof)." 

"I wish I could see you without a shirt. It will be my winter mission to somehow catch a sight of your supposedly tank self."

"The present! Ack! It's happening. Kind of. Argh! It's doing a breha x100."

"Seriously dude. Cooking sesh. It needs to happen sometime soon. Like pronto."

"Could you please, please, please wear those pinstripe shorts before winter kicks in? Please?"

"I'm sitting on the couch that you farted on. Also, do you have anymore Mt. Fujis lately?" 

"WHERE ARE YOU? We should make plans to meet up but I know we won't. We suck at keeping in touch." 

"I found out that Koreans sometimes put honey in foods. NOT SUGAR." 

"There have been far too many humping starfish moments that I need to tell you. It'll be worthy of a full-body movement."

F, I lack creativity to make this post seem less of a clone of your post. :(

Hiatus No More

Ah, good lord. It's been almost a year since I've last updated. It's slightly embarrassing how much of an undedicated blogger I am compared to all the regulars. But on the upside, it's allowed me to personally evaluate how much I felt I changed since then. Personal benefit = 1.

One thing I should probably bring to light is my past boy-craziness. It's way too shameful to imagine how incredibly boy-crazy I was last year. To my defense, I did attend an all-girls high school for 6 years. I guess that cringe-worthy 1 year of lasciviousness had to happen. In any case, with that chapter safely behind, I think it's a-okay for me to say that there are times when I do enjoy the entirely platonic company of the opposite sex more than the time spent with my own sex. I can't help but bring to mind the irony of saying such a statement since I seem to remember I ridiculed a certain someone in high school for saying it as well. I'm sorry Y. I'm not sure if you remember telling me that but I now know where you're coming from. It just took me a few years s'all.

So updates! I'm living at a college this year. It's sort of more like a faux-college since it has ties with the Lutheran church but it's a place to eat, sleep and socialise. So close enough. I've made some great friends who, I'm pleased to report, are Asian! Yes! I haven't strayed too far from the PLC days! I have been welcomed back into the Asian fold and I'm there to stay. Actually, living at college really does remind me of home since the building's basically all Asian (Ha, take that all the nasty teachers in year 10. We really can work together successfully!). We've had our run-of-the-mill late-night chats, our Munchkin-playing days and our cheese nights. And to boot, it's not even that noisy.

Adelaide's growing on me. It might just be because I'm situated in the nice part of Adelaide - the northern side. It's full of green lawns and nice foliage. The walk to uni is a pleasant one, even if it is uphill one way. There's even a 24-hour bakery to satisfy any late-night hunger pangs (which doubles as a lucrative munchies spot for all the college revelers). I'm still not a great fan of the opening hours of the shops and the lack of Woolworths and Coles in vital areas. How is it that there's only an IGA and Foodland in North Adelaide? Why are they so over-priced? Gah!

Uni is busy. I don't know how, but I'm already behind in Contracts notes. Fingers-crossed I'll be able to catch up during the holidays. Physiology is great! I'm half in love with the term 1 lecturer. She's American and has a voice that's reminiscent of the narrated science clips on Youtube – so incredibly calm and collected. Biochem is so-so. I'm not too keen on the lectures but the material itself is interesting. How is it that the nerd/dork factor in my Biochem lectures is so high? Tank tops that show one's midriff paired with jeans and sneakers, anyone? Forgive the hypocrisy. Personal style still = 0

Landmark: End Of Term 1

Two posts ago, my attitude towards Adelaide may have been one that was slightly condescending. After five weeks of uni and about a week of holidays, I'm proud to say that I have a reformed opinion of the place.

Adelaide's freaking awesome.

Writing that statement's a bit like waking up from a night of drunken revelries and telling someone you had an "awesome night" without ever elaborating on the sordid details. So I'll fill you in on all the stories that range from average to juicy to ignominious that finally led to the epic conclusion of Adelaide being a truly cool place.

Story #1: How I Came To Make Adelaidian Friends

As I mentioned in a previous post, I attended the debating dinner for AUDS members. It was there that I met my present friends: A., C.M., H. and J. During that dinner, I only talked to H. and C.M. H and I bonded over our stalker-ish activity of drooling over any attractive Law boys, of which there were many. Later on, I was introduced to E., the psychology student who is a vegan and also a closet Anime/Manga fan. After trading favourite Animes titles, E. showed A. (who was a not so closet fan of Anime/Manga after exclaiming loudly in the packed food court, "I LOVE ANIME TOO!") and me the secret store of everything to do with Anime and Manga that is conveniently located in a discrete location right next to Millers and EB Games. So really, the only ones who'll ever see us entering said store will be fellow fans and grandmas. A. has a tendency to bring randoms to lunch and one random was P. (of whom some of you may already know through my frequent exclamations) and A.P., who is nice but so annoying. Also, Y. the third year med student comes to lunch with S. who is gay and extremely attractive.

Story #2: The Night Of Solidification (Solidification of what?!)

One particular Saturday night, we went to dinner at a pub in North Adelaide. The dinner itself wasn't that interesting except for various faux pas on my behalf. Some of them include me saying, "I'm coming! I'm coming!" while vigorously chewing on a piece of steak so as to answer a question. Y. choked on his Lemon and Lime Bitters. The drinking session that occurred after the dinner was when things became eyebrow-raising. For instance, A.P. threw up and urged us at the top of his voice to "CALL THE AMBULANCE!" and "PHONE MY MUMMY. SHE'S A DOCTOR." Apparently, A.P. has no recollection of the night but we all now know that he's a mommy's boy. Also of interest was this rather peculiar photo that was taken while playing Kings. Have fun guessing who it is:

(In the background is H. who is in her pajamas)

It turns out that this was the night that friendships were solidified (as well as relationships considering how Y. and A. are now going out) whilst mopping up chicken breast puke. For the record, I am now in love with Pine-O-Clean and I swear by its hospital-grade antiseptic qualities.

Story #3: The Law library And Embarrassing Moments

While in the law library, I happened to sit across from an attractive older year student. I believe he was a halfie who was in possession of manly shoulders that filled out his polo magnificently. His hair was tussled carelessly like that of a Ralph Lauren model. His white teeth flashed periodically as he muttered a few sentences as he wrote them. Alas! My contemplations of his Adonis-like beauty would not last as my stomach grumbled audibly. His light brown eyes looked up and met mine and a look of puzzlement flitted across his features. My mind was blank and I dimly thought, "what if he thinks it was but a bout of flatulence?". And so I quickly reassured him that "it wasn't a fart! It was my stomach grumbling!"

FML. I hope I never see him again.

Story #4: At Bradford With A.

A. and I actually live at Bradford, a hostel, together. She's on the 1st floor and I'm on the 6th. Since there's an elevator, we frequently visit each other. On one particular occasion, A. found it necessary to visit me in order to use my laptop. However, I had no knowledge of her intention that day. Before she came to visit, I had stripped down to the underwear because for some strange stroke of logic, I decided that hanging around nearly naked was a more sensible decision than turning on the air-con. Thank you Adelaide weather. You befuddled my brain. In any case, A. knocked at the door, and wanting to not show off my taste in lingerie I scrambled to find an appropriate t-shirt and shorts. Lots of banging of closet doors occurred as I called out, "Err... Just hang on a minute. I'll be right there!". Having opened the door at last, I found A. collapsed on the floor shaking with laughter wheezing, "You don't need to hide your porn from me, KL! I'll find them anyway soon enough!".

Please note, I don't stash any porn of any form anywhere. That includes computers.

Conclusion

So after that display you may think that I'm having a great time in Adelaide. You'd be right, I am. But heck, I'll be sentimental and say that time and time again I can't help but think of all of you. I sometimes wonder what you'd be like when you're drunk. Or whether you'd like what I had for lunch. Or maybe, if you'd have another Dress Up As KL Day again. High school friends have an advantage over uni friends. There's almost six years worth of history right there with all the puberty dramas sandwiched in for good measure. 5 weeks with a bunch of uni kids doesn't replace those PLC days. Even if one of those uni kids is pretty attractive. ;)

Commentary Challenge #1

Wensi Cai's relatively short poem, "ICU (for now)", discusses the impermanence of life and a mortal's vulnerability to death. Written in second person, the poem focusses on a teenager who so unexpectedly, is brought to the precipice between life and death. The title of the poem holds a meaning two-fold. At first glance, the title reflects the setting of the poem: the Intensive Care Unit at a hospital. However, the title also represents the precarious balance between living and dying as it can be read as: "I see you (for now)". Although there is no set rhythm or rhyme, Cai uses other literary features such as alliteration and symbolism to form a work of wistful reflection.

The poem's first two lines open with the vivid image of the metaphorical "ribbon of life" in motion. The repetition of the sound 'tw' in the movements, "twirling and twisting", is relatively lyrical and firm, displaying the rapturousness and vivacity of life. This image is starkly contrasted with the next two lines as the very same ribbon is cut by The Knife. Even the motion of the ribbon is juxtaposed with the words, "flowing and falling" which uses a rather soft enunciation of the 'f' sound. At this point, the reader must question the significance of the capitalized "The Knife". We cannot fail to recognize how easily The Knife "sliced smooth" the ribbon, suggesting that even a seemingly secure and spirited life force can be brought to its end by unannounced instrument.

The next part of the poem takes on a rueful tone as the extinguishment of youth is contemplated on. Here, life and in particular a youthful life, is symbolized by a "freshly grown" flower. The word "just" emphasizes the short life of the newly-formed entity. Like how leisurely and carelessly we may bend down to pluck the head of flowers, a sprightly life may be put out. This life, so unknowingly precious like "shiny dark gems", will become worthless, fit for only wasteland. The speaker of the poem seems to be aware of her loss as the relatively alien emotions of pain and fear overcome her. Her world that was so free and expanse has now been confined to a single place: her hospital bed. Perhaps, like the speaker of the poem, we will only be aware of how cherished our own existence is when we are on the brink of losing it.

The ending lines of the poem leave us at the bedside of the teenager. The uncertainty of her fate is perceptible by the question, "how much time is there left?" The teenager has almost no control over her being with machines controlling her functions. This is only emphasized by the lone sounds of "beep beep!". The teenager can only wait and hope.

Cai has produced a poem that is not only a reminder of the brittleness of a seemingly invincible youthful life but also an elegy of the loss of the life. Although it may be inevitable for youth and life to be taken away from us, we should enjoy both to the fullest.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I thought I'd never do it... but I did. Good god, I hope I captured the right things Wensi. :/

Ahem. SL English through and through. :D

A First

Heck, I was born to be a lemming. I guess that's why I'm being swept (again) into the whole blogging business. I mean, practically everyone has a blog. So I thought, hey, I'm sure some person out there would be interested in reading my ridiculous rants... right?

Don't underestimate the world wide web. There could be some stalker out there who'll google this blog and begin to doggedly follow every single word. He/she will begin to harbour this unhealthy fascination with me and try to hunt me down. I'll find roses, love-sick poems and Lindt chocolates in my mail box (all from said stalker). Being the unsuspecting damsel, I'll think it was sent by a reincarnation of Tram Boy. Fantasies of tall, good-looking blonde boys will run wild as I try to discover who my admirer is...

Don't underestimate my imagination.

Also, don't underestimate my need for romance/love. Under the facade of a pretty and innocent young girl lies a lustful succubus who's just waiting to pounce on some poor person. Sorry to break it you guys. I might just turn into that party-animal in university (Heaven forbid. I think my ancestors might shed some tears for the family line.).

Frankly, I can't be bothered writing anymore. In fact, I find it quite amazing how V, Frothy, W, V, A, Fiona, W, S, H, S (Dear god, how long is this list?!) and whoever else can write for more. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE. At the moment, I'm trying to milk this post as much as I can. It isn't really working.

So there we go: this blog's inaugural post. Yes, I am quite aware that I have many other blogs and I would continue writing in them if I still remembered the username and password. Sadly, I don't. Shed a tear or two on behalf of me, okay?

(Happy New Years to all of you reading this.)