I CAN'T STOP LISTENING TO JASON MRAZ - I'M YOURS

This kind of dependence is unhealthy. What if I accidentally deleted all copies of the song I have? What if my internet connection fails and I can't download a new copy? I mean, I'll have to depend on the radio stations for my 30 plays a day fix - actually, that might just work...

It's been 2 and a half weeks since I arrived in KL, enjoying the holiday I missed last summer. That sentence feels structurally unsound. Anyway, I've been driving a lot, playing some badminton and mostly, just catching up with friends.

I have 2 weeks to plan my future because application deadlines don't wait for you. I feel maybe a little lost.

Diversions

Hey you. Yes, you.

Nothing much has happened since my last post. I wish I could blog about exciting new travels, interesting incidents or something, but the reality is I've been back and forth between home and uni, studying most of the time and procrastinating the rest. Routine stuff.

I'm in the middle of the mid-terms and assignments season, so just working to clear the lot. For some good news, I've been accepted into Wharton. I'll be back in KL probably mid-July to mid-August, then flying off to the states for the fall term. After the term ends in mid-December, I'll be traipsing around NYC with Aditi and Rachael for about two weeks, celebrating the end of my uni life and my first step into the real world.

As exciting as it is, that's all still a little way off. Amidst the tedium, I've been amusing myself with little time-wasting diversions on the internet, like this.

There once was a buggy AI
Who decided her subject should die.
When the plot was uncovered,
The subjected discovered
That sadly the cake was a lie.

I figure Alex would particularly appreciate this one. ;) Anyway, more here! The site was set up by Randall Munroe, creator of xkcd, and is pretty much a bash.org for (mostly geeky) limericks. It's pretty entertaining. Here's another one that made me laugh.

There once was a man named Bertold
Who drank beer when the weather grew cold
As he reached for his cup...
"NEEEEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP!!!"
Oh, snap! You just got limerickrolled!

Oh, one last note. The beautiful love between House and Wilson, it's trooo! Okay, so the whole internet knew before me, but better late than never. I hadn't been watching House in awhile (slow internet, can't download) but not too long ago I turned on the TV to find the most squeeworthy episode of House. Ever.

[transcript]

House - S04E12:

HOUSE: This isn't just about the sex. You like her personality. You like that she's conniving. You like that she has no regard for consequences. You like that she can humiliate someone if it serves...
HOUSE: [wide-eyed] Oh, my God. You're sleeping with me.

...

HOUSE: Went by your hotel this morning. They told me you moved out. Moved in with CB?
WILSON: No, apparently, I moved in with you.
HOUSE: The very fact that you're resisting my insight proves to me...
WILSON: [interrupts] House, you're right. Why not? Why not date you? I-i-it's brilliant.
WILSON: We've known each other for years, We've put up with all kinds of crap from each other, and we keep coming back. We're a couple!

[/transcript]

Kudos to the writers of the show for making the world a better place with House/Wilson. Now if only Smallville could take some hints...

Watch out for the backposts

I've been planning this blog facelift for a long, long time. I'm glad it's finally done, made possible by today's public holiday. Working in Malaysia does have its perks. Public holiday BONANZAA!! Anyway, I'm looking forward to blogging again - I miss writing.

As you would've noted, I haven't updated since late September. More for my records than anything else, I'll be backposting for awhile, as it has been a rather eventful 2+ months.

Let's hope this marks the rejuvenation of this blog. 3 years worth of writing is too valuable a thing to abandon.

ahh the sweet, sweet smell of rain

There's something inherently exhilarating about walking through torrential rain with an umbrella. It's like saying, "STUFF YOU NATURE!! I REFUSE TO BE WET!!1!"

Of course, it wasn't quite torrential when I did it, but it never fails to make me smile. Also, the message might have gone across with more conviction had I not been carrying that white polka-dotted-koalas on blue umbrella, which I'm perennially embarassed about.

Rainy mornings make me happy.

[ this space for rent ]

At last, the tedium of exams are over. How did I go? Who knows. Not too well, I'd hazard, but I'm too relieved to care at the moment.

Even before the paper yesterday morning, I was up and about various libraries in uni collecting what shall be termed my holiday kit, picking up books, DVDs and putting more on hold. I will read, watch, play (frisbee + guitar) myself silly this holidays. I don't think I've read a book proper since Huxley's Island start of this year.

After the paper, a smile (the usual explosive sort you find after last exam papers) battled with my lips to be let out, but I didn't want people to think I'd gone mad smiling crazily to myself but I did laugh a little. I came home, set up camp on the couch and read Stephen Fry - The Liar from cover to cover. It was 2am when I finished, and I put down the book drunkenly, dizzy with contentment. I've neglected the pleasure of reading a good book far too long.

The Liar is brilliant. I loved it. It's funny, witty, touching, entertaining, ridiculous, insightful, exciting and it makes me sound like an amazon book review. I think I've covered all the adjectives now. Whatever it is, it wasn't intellectually heavy and plodding stuff, thus perfect for resting the mind after two weeks of fuckety exams. Helped that during that time I was pretending to study I'd wikied and googled the life out of Stephen Fry (and Hugh Laurie and others) and was able to appreciate the book more for its scattered references to his child-to-young-adulthood. My next mission is to read all other books from the blessed pen of Stephen Fry and possibly Laurie's The Gun Seller too.

That's all for the post-exam post (geddit? geddit? *collective groan*) and I'm off to sink my teeth into a DVD. Woohoohoohooo! [/tigger]

PS: I have decided that Michael Rosenbaum, in ten years time, will be James Spader. How I heart those two. I have a weakness for men with incredibly sexy voices. Incredibly.

some fry and laurie love

Embedding youtube videos are all the rage right now, have been for some time in fact. No self-respecting blogger would refrain from jumping on the bandwagon, oh no.

Here's an interview (1:52min) of Emma Thompson about Hugh Laurie (the guy who plays House, for the ignorant few *stares pointedly*). I'd quote, but I wouldn't want to spoil the fun. =) And they used to date back in Cambridge...awwww.



Ah, these British actors. My love for them knows no bounds.

Also, I find this picture extremely compelling.



The actual caption read 'Stephen Fry cuddling Jude Law.' AWWW! Anyway, I recommend the movie Wilde. They were both quite brilliant in it. If you don't love Oscar Wilde and his works already, you should.

Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie is what I call a beautiful friendship. No slashy undertones intended.

No, really. =)

recharge, please

That I managed to drag myself around uni today, despite heavy-lidded eyes and dark circles that suggest an unfortunate accident involving monkeys and eyeliners, is a commendable feat.

It makes no sense. I mean, I slept around 1.30am. Which by my standards, is fairly reasonable. It's almost as if 2 weeks worth of sleep deprivation and fatigue that I didn't know I had hit me all at once today and knocked me out cold.

Thank god for Rowden White, a somewhat hippie-atmosphered no-study library that provides the one thing I always wanted at schools - a place to lie down and sleep. (The operating word here being 'lie down') I had two consecutive lectures this morning, but after the first, I knew I had to get myself to Rowden White asap before I stretched myself out right on the carpet in the lecture theatre. It seemed like a very good idea at that time.

And you know what they say. The more you sleep, the more you need to sleep. I spent the rest of the day back at the apartment drifting in and out of a haze of drugged stupor and semi-formed dreams.

Ultimate frisbee featured in a lot of those dreams, interestingly, one more absurd than the next. =P I dreamt about Frank, our UF prez, telling off those who haven't been attending training.

Frank: When we signed you on (for the unigames UF team presumably) we expected you to come to training. I even signed off on all your forms with this. *brandishes a piece of paper from nowhere*



Frank: See this?! That's the ultimate frisbee seal of approval. That's my guarantee to the organisers that you'd show for training!!

Everyone: *nods as if he's making perfect sense*

At this point, I became more conscious and was all like "What the hell..."

Yeah, I know. XD

pixfest

Having ranted so much about my apartment view, I figure its high time I let you guys see for yourselves. =)


The general Carlton neighbourhood.


Night time. Pretty lights.

I'm sorry about the hurriedly taken photos. No matter how long I charge those batteries, they're always low. At times like these, I always think back longingly about TP's old cam that I was so sorely tempted to buy. Is it still around, perchance?

And while we're at it, mmmrosenbaum.


*melts*

Newton's The G1 Pen Law

The first G1 Pen Law is about the empirical observation that all G1 pens will disappear one day after a fresh refill is inserted.

The second G1 Pen Law states that the refill will be exactly 99.98% full.

The third G1 Pen Law states that realisation that said G1 pen has gone missing will occur at the most inconvenient time possible.¹

I hate putting in new refills.

1. The best example of The Third G1 Pen Law occured in 1998, when Sir Humphrey Rappaport was held captive by PNG natives during one of his research expeditions. He had with him a G1 pen, a journal and two paperclips. He spent 3 years negotiating his release with the natives, of which one year was spent learning the local dialect, one year attempting to secure an interview with the chief-of-tribe, and another year negotiating his release. The natives eventually agreed to set him free, on condition that he hand over his G1 pen as a trophy addition to the chief-of-tribe's headdress. Of course, by then it was nowhere to be found. Sir Humphrey was eventually rescued by a passing American spy-plane and became a major contributor to the formulation of The G1 Pen Laws we know today.

Announcement.

Dorkwinter, the idiot alter ego of Darkwinter will be Missing In Action for the next 8 days as she heads off to UK for a ridiculously expensive trip.

She will now shamelessly ask you to leave her comments! so that she may have something to look forward to when she comes back on the 13th of December.

Please refrain from posting more than 10 comments/person as Blogger might buckle under the sheer volume of comments that she is bound to receive. *stares pointedly at you*

Heh. Heh. Heh. BYE!! XD

Man, it took me almost two weeks back home before I find out that the RM 1 coin has ceased to be legal tender. What the heck? Why doesn't anyone tell me these things? =) (When I was in Aus not counted ok? =)

Saw the Bank Negara ad in the papers today and went to pick out a pile of RM 1 coins from the savings in my drawer. Good thing there's still 3 more days to change them. Just yesterday summore I was hunting around for a one buck coin. Everyone's probably swapped theirs already. Ho! I wonder if they changed the Carrefour trolleys then...

I'm on to something here, really!

Let's play a word association game! Ready? Onetwothree -

Evilwan.

Got your word yet? Right. Did you think what I, and many others thought of? I believe there's something special about this non-existent word. Check your word against this highly condensed MSN chat I had two days ago.

Me: Evliwan!
Harold: Evilwan!
Me: Evilwankenobi!
Harold: ...Me too!
Feebs: *reads* Actually, me too!

[on another occasion]

Me: Evilwan!
Kang: Darth Vader?
TP: Er...

There. Tried and tested, with a 3 out of 3 success rate (on the first occasion). We hereby conclude that -

Evilwan --> Evilwankenobi (or something vaguely related to Star Wars)

For the curious, I coined the word 'evliwan' because I was trying to say 'everyone'in a super Cina accent. H modified it a bit, and the testing began!

More guitar accessories!!

Oh my gawwwwd! My dad just bought an electric guitar FX pedal, like those big expensive ones that come with a zillion features and I need to get my hands on it RIGHT NOW!!!! If I had credit on my phone I'd ring home this instant and demand to speak to my brother. And then I can interrogate him on exactly what brand/model it is and every thing it can do. But my credit's flat so all I can do is jump around, snap at people and blog about it.

I've always always always wanted one...woohoo! All my dreams are coming true. Stupid brother. He probably thinks he owns it. We'll see about that once I get home. Aaaaaaa, I want to go home now! Damn it, I wish I had an older sibling to start me on guitars when I was 13. Or earlier. He's so lucky he had me. >_> Now he can go charm all the girls with his 1337 guitar skills and jam and shit.

Gah! Rachael tells me there's a pre-screening of The Corpse Bride at Rivoli, and tickets are only 5 bucks if you come dressed as a corpse or a bride. But it's on the 17!!! Dammit, one day before the end of my exams. Hmm...I wonder how important Physics paper 3 is...

Anyway, it's showing in KL now isn't it? I suppose if they go on the 17th I'll catch it back home...

Gah. Sleepless, restless nights. Sucks that I'm most awake and ready to do a 3 hour math paper at midnight.

Whoo, look what came out early October!



I was wondering when they'd get round to it. I wish he didn't stop drawing.

And iPod's finally released the video feature too. Though I think the nano looks cooler. Plus it's pretty damn hardy despite appearances. I like. (link gacked from kennysia.com)

Hokay. Math math math. What's new?

So the trials ended today and the weather reverted back to its old chilliness. No kidding. Anyway, after a 7 hour 15 minute exam marathon today, I need more than just a break. I need a new life. One that doesn't involve major Chem paper slip ups. *wibble* My favourite subject too...:'-(

That aside, how's everyone? And when do A-levels start?

I like it how this sunny Sunday afternoon seems to hang suspended in time, lazily peaceful with the whirr of the 3-speed table fan in my room.

It's rather nostalgic.

routine

Hey all!

Here I am back again in Aus, with Term 3 starting tomorrow. Flight was quite good, slept really well. It's been a good hols, thanks guys ^^, though I wasn't able to go out half as much as I'd have liked to. The predicted pangs of regret for not bringing Smallville season 1-3 over are settling in, but knowing I wouldn't be able to resist Smallville marathons at the expense of very important work if I had brought them over, it's all good.

Also, I've discovered that I have a phobia of small talk. Or rather, a phobia of the heavy and expectant silence that ensues after you run out of topics during small talk. It's hard to suddenly find common ground to talk about with a total stranger, like the person next to you on the plane, or the taxi driver, and there's only so far talk about weather and school can get you.

Ah well. I'm sure I'll get better at it. DarkWinter - small talk extraordinaire. Just you wait. =)

What now?

The end of exams are so overrated. It's ironic how during the exams you find a hundred and one pressing things other than study to do, and when you're finally free, you wander about restlessly wondering what to do, even considering switching on your laptop to try break your high score in beginner minesweeper which is only a high score because it was the only score.

*pities pathetic state of self*

Truly, for the whole of Thursday, after a fantastic lunch at Gwen's (assam laksa and pulut hitam! Oh...flavours of home!!), brudder and I were caught in exactly that dreary, tiresome limbo.

In the end, I attempted to console myself with the lights of my miserable, piteous existence - Hugh Grant, Colin Firth and Brad Pitt. Can you believe that Zellweger woman?! *murderously* That overweight pout. As if two hot, hot guys weren't enough in the first movie, she gets a girl now on top of all that. Is she THAT desirable? I think not!

So there I was, breaking my heart over Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. *dissolves into big romantic-comedy-puddle* ...I can't decide which one I like better. They're both meltingly good-looking, British-accented, suave, charming, sweet and smouldering. If anyone wants to make me a very happy person on Dec 18, may I suggest giving me a whole collection of movies they've been in, life-size posters and a compilation of the best pictures/photos of them.

See? I'm being realistic. I didn't ask for them in person.

Sadly, there was too little of them and too much of that woman. After the movie, I began looking for stuff to do again, and decided to plunge into Season 8 of Friends (observe how desperate I'm getting at this point). Why season 8? C'mon, all together now - Brad Pitt. Though admittedly, he should stay out of sitcoms and in the movies where he belongs.

It was only 10-ish when I finished some episodes of Friends. I was almost at my wits end already, and if brudder wasn't there to be bored to bits with me, I would have just slithered down my chair, sat under the desk, stare cross-eyed into space and wibble.

I need professional help.

I try too hard sometimes.

2 hours till dinner, but I’m not really hungry for beef schnitzel right now. Exams are chugging along, English and Math down; Econs, Chem, Physics and Chinese to go. (In that order too!) The mood to study has disappeared since Friday (after the Math papers where I completely fried any remaining brain cells but, I felt really smart for figuring out how to do most of Paper 2!!!) and I fear for my results if it doesn’t return soon. For now, I shall exploit my apathy by posting.

*awkward silence*

Riiight so what I meant to say was…exams are such a dreadful bore. There’s so much to look forward to after it but four days is a long wait for us impatient types. =) Gwen invited me and brudder for a Malaysian lunch at her place immediately after the last paper on Thursday. *celebrates* And, I may go see H2G2 with Connie at the cinemas if it doesn’t cost 11 bucks. Rach and Aditi are planning to watch Star Wars instead. It’s quite amazing how I haven’t quite caught on with Star Wars, as seen from my convo with Connie the other day.

Connie: …and I think they’re planning to go watch Episode 3: Attack of the Siths.
Me: [pause**] …What?
Connie: Attack of the Siths. Star Wars.
Me: …Oh so is that what it’s called? Right. Cool.

[**To dispel any notions that I’m just slow with my replies, I shall attempt to fill in the pause with the complex and intelligent internal monologue which was going on in my mind at that point of time.]

Me: WTF?! Attack of the Sikhs??!
Mind: *tries to grapple with the idea of a mob of angry turbaned men in a spaceship*
Me: That’s not right! Shit! What do I say now?!
Mind: What! Ask her what dammit!
Me: [blurts out]…What?
Mind: Whew. Close shave.

But that’s not to say I don’t know anything about Star Wars of course, even though I haven’t watched a single episode. *defensively* I know the storyline!

A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far away, [ Kabul / Nabul ] was under an attack. And something something [ Quaigon Jin / Kuai Gon Gin / Qwai Gonjin ] tried to talk the federation in to maybe something something one day. And there’s this place called [ Tatooui / Tatouie / Tat Too Ee ] and meeting Jar Jar in [ Bostnest / Bosnet / ?!??!11!1 ].

Okay. So I don’t really know the storyline. But I know the characters!

So there’s the bad guy which is Darth Vader, and the good guy which is Anakin Skywalker son of Luke Skywalker. And there’s Yoda in a toga (sorry couldn’t resist =) and a queen. And Vader will have to wait till someday later because Anakin is just a small fry, but Anakin left his home and kissed his mummy goodbye because he wanted to be a Jedi. Oh yeah and someone met with Darth Maul and now he’s toast.

*unamused silence*

Okay, okay! So everything I know about Star Wars was from Weird Al’s Star Wars parody of American Pie. So sue me.

Connie: *wields imaginary light saber* Hwing! Vuiing!

That, by the way, has become my occasional nickname. How, you ask? Beats me. They made a leap of faith from Hui Ying --> Huiying --> Huing --> Hwing --> OMG-that-sounds-like-a-light-saber Hwing Vuiing.

I’m sorry for this strange post. Procrastination does this to me sometimes. Excuse me while I make my daring escape from the angry mob of Star Wars diehards.