Spank me!

Erm, no... not really...

But some one should if I don't sit my ass down and finish this stupid comms systems coursework by today! It's only due tomorrow at 5pm, but tomorrow being commemoration day it means everyone gets a holiday and I'll have no one's coursework to copy! Bah!

It was a bloody waste of time dressing up for year rep elections. Yeah, I am year rep, but it's a joint year rep position and thus was won by a general consensus that everyone agreed to having more than one (or rather we agreed NOT to vote out anyone) due to the wide spectrum of ISE courses the year reps would have to deal with. So what was the point of Chien Liq and Wei Kiat educating me on how to use my feminine charms on the largely male population of ISE again? Such a waste of hair combing, lip rouging, cleavage plumping, etc. etc. I still hold that I'm the prettier year rep anyway.

I've gotten myself dragged into the IBM university business challenge. In other words, I get to run an imaginary alcopop company for 6 weeks. Ah... my dream career.

I want to go check out the Alien exhibit at the Science Museum tomorrow. Provided I finish and hand in my coursework. Then it's shopping at Harrods, and Death of a Salesman in the evening with Fidel.

And this is why I love London

A First Lady, fondly remembered

My mother sms-ed early this morning, or perhaps late last night. The news that our first lady had passed away obviously could not have waited until I'd woken up. But that's how much she means to us and how much we've grown so fond of her.

For a family that has grown up in the arms of the civil service and government forces in Malaysia, it has been truly difficult to take a liking to anyone of 'them'. Respect, maybe, but like is a an estranged word when it comes to anyone in the government and their respective family members.

But we really liked Endon. Oh, we so did! Maybe we feared that she would never hold a torch up to Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah, but she's carved her own niche into our hearts. She's been the gentle caring, giving, loving, favourite mother of the nation, whether in Bakti or batik. She was fearless in the face of cancer and a shining example, even to my own father in his period of recovery.

And she will be so missed. Thanks for staying awhile to touch us hard of heart, Malaysians. Yours was the hardest battle to fight.

Neither here nor there

So it's the beginning of week 3, and I'm not quite sure where week 1 and 2 have gone. I wish I could say it's been due to a hectic schedule of debauchery and wild freshers events, but sadly this is me and as much as my lovely PJ friends would like to believe that I'm an alcoholic, the only alcohol I've had all week is a glass of fizzy lemoncello while watching some documentary on the telly.

My courses are all a mess. I thought I had them sorted out after meeting with my personal tutor, but it isn't very helpful when he keeps saying "Come on, with your grades you can do anything you want!"

I don't want to do anything. I want him to specifically tell me if I should drop freaking killer Math for signals and systems and take up crappy no brainer Software Engineering or ditch 9am Controls lectures and do Peter Cheung's Deegital Seestems. Well, he did tell me that Controls doesn't seem to fit in because of my Signals and Comms direction, but I'm happily dropping it because I don't want 9am lectures four times a week.

So I'm running from lecture to lecture most of the time. I'm even recording lectures in Computing that clash with those in EEE. When I have time to breathe, I'm either buying groceries or cleaning the flat, or staring zombie-like at the TV. It's amazing how much time the telly takes off your life. Especially now that we've discovered free cable TV. We're not sure who's paying for it, but we certainly aren't.

But I'm doing an hour of yoga on the side. It's like taking a nap in the middle of a hectic Thursday. Just give me 6 months and I'll be able to contort into a little human cube... or at least finally be able to touch my toes. I want to do Salsa on Tuesdays, but Lionel's not the keenest dance partner. I also want to go for the Leornado Soc sessions, but they're a whopping £3.50! I might go for selective ones, that involve expensive art material.

I still haven't figured out how to bump the other Year Rep nominees out of the race. But I'm taking that easy for now.

The Frida Kahlo exhibition on the last weekend was amazing. I like frustrated artists because I'm a relaxed lazy one.

There's Death of a Salesman next week. Lionel still pretends to sulk about having to give Fidel his ticket. Well, maybe he's not pretending.

Then there's Guys and Dolls to fight for tomorrow. Only 20 tickets. Lionel had damn well better be the first in line. There's nothing that can't be sacrificed for an evening with Ewan McGregor.

I'm done for today.

Rather quiet, isn't it?

London is...

.... just as I left it

The vibrant Earl's Court takes some getting used to, and dodging drunken winos is a skill I need to brush up... but you should just see the view from my bedside window! Autumn English backyards in their brilliant reds and golds are certainly worth waking up for.

First weeks are as usual confusing and utterly fluid. Changing time tables, not knowing which electives to take and not being able to find the right rooms for the ArtSoc meeting. Trying to remember names and faces and the one thousand societies I have joined. Trying to find a new phone plan. Trying to figure out how to fix the latch on the bathroom door and how many boxes of files I had altogether because I am quite certain some files are still missing! Trying to plan how I am going to convince 40 ISE students to pick me as year rep instead of the other guy.

It's a lovely way to start off a new term.

Email me for my new address. I'd really appreciate Christmas cards to brighten up my dreary December days.

ps - I do miss home. I really do. I cried on the way back because I won't see my little sister for a year. She's still crying at home.
pps - 6 weeks of home isn't enough. Whatever made me think I can bear 10 straight months without going home?

All aboard! Destination - who knows?

It's almost second nature to harden myself against sentimentality. To plug up the emotions and look everything in the face with steely coldness.

And so, when I leave tomorrow, when I step out of this house for the last time, there will be no looking back. It's too painful to miss something you've always known all your life. Reason tells me to not hold sentiments for something as lifeless as a house. On the otherhand, I guess it's alright to miss something as full of life as a home.

A home with its white washed walls that for 22 years has played canvas to my fingerprints, and its fading terrazo floor on which I played a secret game of only stepping on particular 'islands' to get to the kitchen for fear the rest of its white vastness will swallow you whole. A room with delicate China blue wallpaper which rocked me to sleep to the sounds of Matchbox 20, and hid all my diaries and poems and sketches from prying eyes. A staircase with my own make belief poltergeist that ran up and down noisily just to get attention. And the very overrated aquarium which has held several generations of goldfish, guppies and parrot fish in its time (my favourite being the gormless looking parrot fish). And the tiny backyard where I used to play with the neighbourhood kittens until my mother educated me on the various types of tapeworm diseases that cats bring with them.

It's hard to say goodbye to 22 years of life. Thankfully my new house with my own room and my own bathroom to sing off key in makes it a little easier. It's going to be bigger with more space for the dog to run around. That is the dog will be running around outside, not in my room. I've picked out a new bed after my mother examined my 22 year old bed which has been threatening to fall apart anytime soon. Built-in cupboards have pretty much been designed, and my piano has a designated spot in the house. It's perfect!

I just hope it doesn't have that 'hotel' feeling when I come home next year.